Palek’s defense, Farrow’s rebounding critical to success of CAL and South Jersey champion Middle Township

Posted: March 11th 2025

Players and coaches from the Middle Township High School girls basketball team discuss strategy during a timeout during Saturday's South Jersey title game.

By BRIAN CUNNIFF

CapeAtlanticLive.com

Reagen Powell was dynamic early Saturday evening.

The junior forward shot 8 for 16 from the floor and a perfect 11 for 11 from the foul line in scoring a game-high 28 points to go with nine rebounds in the Middle Township High School girls basketball team’s 56-31 win over Haddon Heights in the South Jersey Group II championship game.

Powell further proved she’s one of the best players in South Jersey with that performance, despite being snubbed from a recent list of first- and second-team regional all-stars that made the rounds on social media over the weekend. The exclusion of Powell is an absurd oversight.

Powell’s efforts have been critical to the team this season. She’s averaging 16.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game for the 2025 Cape-Atlantic League and three-time South Jersey champion Lady Panthers.

Equally as important, however, have been the contributions by players not necessarily known for their scoring.

Senior McKenzie Palek, with her defense, and junior Sarah Farrow, with her rebounding, have made a vital impact for a team that will enter Wednesday’s state semifinal against Manasquan at 27-5 and riding a 10-game winning streak.

Let’s start with Palek.

MCKENZIE PALEK

A 5-9 senior guard, Palek has further proven to be one of the best – some might say she’s the best – perimeter defenders in South Jersey while also a modest scorer at 7.5 points per game. 

High school basketball statistics usually aren’t expansive enough to determine advanced defensive metrics. But the proof of Palek’s effectiveness can be measured in what she’s done guarding the best player on the opposing team.

In Saturday’s South Jersey title game, Palek was tasked with guarding Emma Harris of Haddon Heights. Not only did Palek hold the sensational sophomore to three points, more than 13 below her average, but she also limited Harris to only six shot attempts from the floor in a game Middle won by 25 points..

One game earlier, Palek guarded Barnegat’s Riley Fitzpatrick, who entered the contest averaging 12.6 points per game. Fitzpatrick scored six in Middle’s 59-45 win.

In the second round of the tournament, it was Sterling’s Paris Logan. Logan entered the game scoring at a 12.4 points per game clip, only to be limited to seven by Palek in a 56-25 Middle victory.

Going back further, in the CAL Tournament championship game, Palek held Holy Spirit star Sabrina Little to zero points through three quarters and to seven for the game, two of which were scored just ahead of the buzzer in a 42-32 Middle victory. Little had entered the game averaging better than 17 points per game.

It’s not just perimeter players, either. Palek defended Our Lady of Mercy Academy’s Khalia Lewis, a 6-foot post player, and held her to six points, 11 below her average.

Earlier in the regular season, prolific Wildwood scorer Macie McCracken (23.2 ppg) was limited to just 10 points by Palek.

You get the drift. Palek is simply a transcendent defensive stopper.

“When it comes to defenders, ‘Kenz’ is elite,” Middle coach John Leahy said. “You look at the matchups in the last two tournaments – the CAL and South Jersey – and what she’s done guarding some of these really good players, it’s phenomenal. Harris (of Haddon Heights) is a really good player. For Kenz, and Abbey (Cappelletti) a little bit, to keep her to three points is just tremendous.”

For Palek, she feels her chance to shine comes at the defensive end of the floor.

“I know that I’m stronger defensively than I am offensively,” Palek said. “You get told a lot to stick to your strengths and that’s what I try to do. My job is applying a lot of pressure on defense. My offense will come once in a while. Defense is my job, so that’s what I’m going to do.”

Then there’s Farrow.

SARAH FARROW

At 5-5 and with good quickness, Farrow should probably be playing a position that more resembles that of a shooting guard or small forward. Instead, she’s an undersized power forward/center who dominates the paint when it comes to grabbing the basketball after a missed shot.

Averaging 10.6 rebounds per game, Farrow has upped her rebounding game as the season has progressed by claiming at least 10 rebounds in each of the team’s last 10 games. Her 15-point, 17-rebound effort against Haddon Heights was glorious to watch.

“Sarah just has a natural instinct of knowing where the ball’s going to be,” Leahy said. “She’s very strong, but for her it’s just a feel of where the ball’s going to come off and she’s able to high point the ball because she times her jumps and she gets to the ball at a higher point than everyone else. We preach to get to the weak side when shots go up and nobody’s better at doing that and getting putbacks than she is.”

Although averaging less than seven points per game, Farrow has scored in double figures in each of her last five games. The 15 points against Haddon Heights were one off her season high.

But it’s the rebounding where Farrow makes her most impact.

“It’s the best part of the game for me, honestly,” Farrow said. “I love flying through the air and getting the ball.”

Three really good players. Three vastly different roles for each.

There are good complementary players in the starting lineup as well in Cappelletti, a junior guard, and Izzi Toland, a senior forward. Cappelletti is also a lockdown defender, facilitates Middle’s offense and knocks down the occasional three-pointer, while Toland provides some toughness, interior defense and outside shooting.

It’s a formula that makes Middle’s team greater than the sum of its parts and is a major reason why the team is playing into mid March.