The Cape-Atlantic League has created a tournament to crown an overall champion. Quarterfinal games were held Friday night before packed houses at Wildwood Catholic (where Middle Township escaped with a narrow victory) and Pleasantville (where Holy Spirit won in overtime).
Semifinals are Tuesday at Hammonton - where an overflow crowd will watch as top seeds Atlantic City and St. Augustine take the court - with the title game set for Saturday at Stockton.
It's a wonderful idea. South Jersey's other leagues should be tripping over themselves to create their own tournaments.
How cool would it be if the last week of the regular season - say, this Monday, Wednesday, and Friday - featured an Olympic Conference tournament with teams such as Paul VI, Bishop Eustace, Eastern, and Shawnee?
Or a Burlington County League tournament with teams such as Willingboro, Medford Tech, Westampton Tech, and Florence taking their shot at Trenton Catholic?
The Tri-County has been trying to create basketball buzz for years. The league would add some serious sizzle to the sport with an annual tournament bringing together the best two teams from three divisions.
The Colonial might be the most tradition-rich conference in the state. But imagine the jolt of energy the old league would get with a tournament to decide the overall champion, with the division winners - this year, that's Haddonfield and Paulsboro - getting byes while the second- and third-place teams from the Patriot and Liberty play in the quarterfinals.
Think of the crowds for the semifinals, the drama in the finals.
Think how much excitement and interest these tournaments would add to the regular season, since the races wouldn't be just for division titles but also for the other spots in the field.
