‘It just felt unreal’

Going into halftime of its recent NJSIAA Group II South Jersey quarterfinal basketball matchup against Manchester Township, Cinnaminson had an overwhelming 15-point lead, seemingly coasting to a sectional semifinal appearance.

“We were really hot coming out of the gates, hitting threes and other baskets,” Pirates senior guard Ava Sztenderowicz said. 

But things changed drastically in the second half, especially in a fourth quarter, when the Pirates, up by 10 points with eight minutes left, were outscored by 14 points, turning the game on its head. The Hawks orchestrated a masterful comeback, leaving Cinnaminson and its home faithful stunned as the final buzzer sounded.

“We knew Manchester was incredibly talented going in,” Cinnaminson head coach Bret Jenkins said. “It wasn’t to the point of like, ‘We’re definitely going to win this game.’ We, both coaches and players, truly understood their talent, but because you have a lead, because we played so well in tight games, that ending was just a stunner.”

The quarterfinal loss snapped a four-game winning streak and a 5-1 stretch for the Pirates, ending their season before things really got started. And despite winning 20 or more games for the fourth consecutive season, the team’s quest for a sectional title came up short.

Coming off two straight trips to a sectional final, the standard for Cinnaminson has gone up tremendously, even that much more with a strong senior class headlined by Sztenderowicz, who joined the program’s 1,000 point club earlier in the season. But a great second half where Manchester Township couldn’t seem to miss made the difference in yet another sectional final run.

“As the game wore on, in the last three minutes, it really hit me that these could be my last three minutes,” Sztenderowicz recalled. “… It just felt unreal.”

Taking the loss out of consideration, it was yet another banner year for the program, as Jenkins has helped build Cinnaminson into a juggernaut in the Burlington County Scholastic League and in South Jersey. Ava and junior Norah Quinn both averaged over 11.5 points per game, and three players averaged at least nine points per game.

The Pirates sank nearly four three-pointers a game and averaged more than 11 assists per contest, a result of sharing the ball and getting more teammates involved overall. Make no mistake, this year’s senior class is a tough one to lose, with two starters and a bench piece who accounted for 41% of Cinnaminson’s scoring.

But quality talent is returning next year, with players who could finally bring a sectional title home for the program and the school.

“When you get to that point, it makes it hurt worse when you lose,” Jenkins acknowledged. “… We’ve hit a hump, and next year, we have to do a lot to get over that hump. It’s now exciting that we’re at that level where being mediocre isn’t acceptable.”