2022 Tri-County Conference Standouts Pt. 2

Anticipation has been delayed, but hasn’t wavered in New Jersey as the start of the 2020/21 high school girls basketball season won’t begin until at least January. However, the unique circumstances surrounding this season are just adding to the allure of what will be a shorter, but much more competitive schedule for teams across the state. Prep Girls Hoops is giving you an inside look at the state’s best talent, continuing a multi-part series focusing on junior standouts to watch in the Tri-County Conference. <strong>Ava Troiano, PG/SG Wildwood:</strong> Troiano was a bench specialist for Wildwood last season but the floor should open up more for her come January to either start or be a 6th woman off the bench. She gets her points on the inside, in the paint and prides herself on her defense, putting up several multi-steal games during the 2019/20 season. Those glimpses of success are going to turn into consistent showings for Troiano this season and even expect her to play at forward, showing off more of her rebounding prowess. <strong>Alaina Villari, SF Pitman:</strong> Villari is going to be an increasingly important inside presence for Pitman this season as the paint has opened up with the departures of two seniors. The Panthers lost 230 total rebounds coming into this season, but she’s going to swallow up a good chunk of that with more playing time and more confidence on the floor. She draws a lot of contact in the lane and is a solid free throw shooter, so that, combined with blocking and assisting makes her someone who can really increase her ceiling this season. <strong>Riley Fulmer, PG Woodstown:</strong> Fulmer will be taking over as the unquestionable leader for Woodstown with [player_tooltip player_id="134596" first="Charlie" last="Baldwin"] graduating in the spring. She’s expected to be a massive contributor on offense, the returning three-point shooting leader and someone who averaged over 10 PPG in 2019/20. She can really do anything on the floor: dribble penetration into the lane for an easy bucket, connecting with a cutting teammate for a great assist, pressing up on defense for a key steal, or shooting with confidence from the perimeter. Fulmer is a gamer and she’s doing to flat-out dominate for Woodstown come January. <strong>Chloe Cuzzupe, PG/SG Woodstown:</strong> Cuzzupe was a balanced scorer and rebounder for Woodstown in 2019/20 and is a complimentary option to Fulmer when they’re both on the floor. She features more as a shooting guard and could transition to the small forward position if there are openings during games. Space will open up for her with three seniors graduating in the spring. Cuzzupe is an underrated defensive presence, averaging 2.67 steals per game for the Wolverines, which means she’s creating turnovers and getting this team on the break early and often. <strong>Callie Wood, PG/SG Pennsville Memorial:</strong> Wood is part of a five-woman junior class that is the backbone of this Pennsville program. Her game is centered around pushing the tempo of the game to get to the basket or draw a double-team and immediately dish it off to an open teammate for a good look at the basket. Expect her to have an increased presence on the floor this year, but it remains to be seen whether that will be as a spark-plug off the bench or in a starting role. Either way, Wood has great two-way potential and will make the Eagles a solid team to keep tabs on. Continue to follow Prep Girls Hoops for more player profiles and previews as the 2020/21 New Jersey high school girls basketball season approaches.