Top Shore Conference Forwards – A North

More news about the start of the 2021 New Jersey high school girls basketball season has come out as the new year is upon us. Practices are to start up the week of January 11th, so we are just weeks away from basketball returning to courts across the Garden State. Prep Girls Hoops has taken a closer look at some of the best talent in New Jersey leading up to this season and that continues here as PGH profiles the top forwards in the Shore Conference, focusing on the A North region. <strong>Jessica Riepe, Marlboro:</strong> Riepe was Marlboro’s top scorer last season and best returning scoring option this season, holding down the fort and dominating in the middle for the Mustangs. She averaged 13.2 PPG and 4.4 RPG while nearly knocking down 3.5 threes a game. Her three-point average and 97 made threes on the season were among the highest in the conference and easily the highest in the A North region. Riepe, now in her senior season, is looking to do big things with the Mustangs and the Holy Family commit is one of a plethora of dangerous scoring options this team has this season. <strong>Renee Wells, Middletown South:</strong> Wells will be among the best players on Middletown South this season and with [player_tooltip player_id="159438" first="Kayla" last="Richardson"] graduating last spring, she is its best outside shooter. She averaged 6.1 PPG last season and averaged just under 0.9 made threes a game. Her 20 made threes last season is the most of any returning player for the Eagles and she is the returning leading scorer on this team. The Eagles lost 58.2 percent of their offense from three graduating seniors coming into the 2021 season. Wells is going to be relied upon heavily as an elite scorer and playmaker for Middletown South. <strong>Hannah Orloff, Freehold Township:</strong> Orloff put up double-double averages last season for Freehold Township, 14.2 PPG and 11.5 RPG, while averaging just under 3.0 BPG. She was the lifeblood of the Patriots last season and will continue to be that this season. This is a senior-heavy team that is coming together at just the right time. Orloff is the senior anchor of this team and is only going to keep improving this season. She could possibly average 17-14-4 numbers this season and will be among the most dominant forwards in the conference. <strong>Caitlin Gresko, Howell:</strong> Gresko, a senior, is going to be one of a few standout superstars for Howell this season and is going to make a team that went 14-13 last season into one of the best in A North. She averaged 12.5 PPG, 4.4 RPG and 0.5 BPG in the 2019-20 season and was second on the team in scoring to fellow senior Grace Leary. The two are going to form a tandem this season that will be among the best in the Shore Conference: Leary at the point and Gresko cleaning up down low and dominating on both sides of the ball. <strong>Mackenzie Bruno, Howell:</strong> Bruno is breaking out at just the right time for Howell going into the 2021 season, coming off a year where she averaged just over 8.0 PPG and 4.8 RPG, plus 0.7 BPG. She was the best shot-blocker on Howell last season and is the best returning option for them this season. Bruno is also the returning rebounding leader, and she should be able to put up close to double-double numbers this season, knowing that the attention is going to be on teammate Caitlin Gresko. That will allow Bruno to really crash and dominate the battle of the boards. Continue to follow Prep Girls Hoops for more player profiles and team previews as the 2021 New Jersey high school girls basketball season approaches.