NJ Hoops 2021 Season in Review – SJV & TCA

In this shortened 2021 New Jersey high school girls basketball season, there were two teams that stood out from the rest: St. John Vianney and Trenton Catholic. These were easily the two best teams in the state and their February 26 matchup lived up to the billing and then some, with SJV coming out on top. The Lacy Lancers and Iron Mikes not only featured some of the best overall programs in the state, but the best players as well. For SJV, it was none other than <strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id="134626" first="Madison" last="St. Rose"],</em></strong> a junior guard who averaged 19.4 PPG, 2.9 SPG, 4.7 RPG and 2.6 APG this season. St. Rose built off of her breakout 2019-20 season in a big way and really took over the reins as a team leader, and the eyes of colleges around the country should be locked in on her. She had help from senior guard <strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id="134610" first="Katie" last="Hill"]</em></strong>, who averaged 12.3 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 3.2 APG and 2.1 SPG in her final season at SJV. The Lady Lancers weren’t what they were without Hill’s stellar outside shooting and precision passing. Hill led SJV in assists and rebounds during the 2021 season. A strong sophomore crop is emerging for the Lady Lancers in guards <strong><em>Janie Brachmann</em></strong> and <strong><em>Bre Delaney</em></strong>, and forwards <strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id="134755" first="Mikaela" last="Hubbard"]</em></strong> and <em><strong>Ashley Sofilkanich</strong></em>. Watch out for that fearsome four over the next two seasons. As for the Iron Mikes of Trenton Catholic, its lone loss was the thriller against St. John Vianney, but otherwise, TCA finished the season a strong 14-1. A group of stellar sophomores led the Iron Mikes in 2021, starting out with superstar guard <em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="134644" first="Zoe" last="Brooks"]</strong></em>, who averaged 19.3 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 4.5 APG and 3.7 SPG this season. Brooks was on fire and if you thought her freshman season was something to behold, she turned it up a notch as a sophomore. She got better in her all-around game and is emerging as one of the top talents of the Class of 2023 nationwide. Alongside her was forward <em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="134643" first="Aalyah" last="Del Rosario"]</strong></em>, one of the best shot-blockers in the state and nation. She, along with an insane 2.7 BPG, averaged 16.3 PPG, 11.5 RPG and 1.2 SPG this season. Del Rosario, who has received offers from the likes of South Carolina, among others, flat out dominated as a sophomore for the Iron Mikes in all facets of the game. <em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="134646" first="Angelica" last="Velez"]</strong></em> was also a massive help, the team’s best passer and third in steals. The sophomore guard averaged 11.0 PPG, 5.8 APG, and 3.6 SPG, showing her range from the outside and some beyond impressive passing skills. <em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="134622" first="Jasmin" last="Boyd"]</strong></em> showed out in her last high school season as the senior guard averaged 12.0 PPG and 3.7 SPG. Boyd also will be continuing her basketball career at North Carolina A&amp;T, so congrats to Jasmine on her commitment to the Lady Aggies! Look out for the future of the Iron Mikes as <em><strong>Aurora Almon-Sanchez</strong> </em>and <strong><em>Eva Andrews</em></strong> were extremely impressive in their freshman seasons. Almon-Sanchez averaged 5.7 PPG and 6.8 RPG while Andrews averaged 5.3 PPG, just under 2.0 RPG and just over 1.0 APG. These programs aren’t going away anytime soon, so stay tuned for what both have to come. Prep Girls Hoops will bring you all of that coverage and more, so keep an eye out for more as the offseason and summer circuit begins.