PGH NJ 2021-22 Team Preview: Rutherford

In sports, it’s not about how you start, but how you finish, and Rutherford embodied that sentiment last season to a T. The Bulldogs stumbled out of the gates, losing their first two games of the season quite handedly. It was a rough go of things to start, but things quickly picked up from there as Rutherford went 9-2 the rest of the way to go 9-4 overall on the year. This is a program that has been a staple in the NJIC for years now and is consistently one of the best without question. With players like [player_tooltip player_id="159086" first="Harmony" last="Marquez"] dominating the competition, Rutherford has a centerpiece to build around and they’ve been piecing together what is expected to be a fantastic team. Prep Girls Hoops New Jersey continues its season preview series with a look at Rutherford, a powerhouse program looking to continue its North Jersey dominance. There were no graduating seniors on last year’s team, so everyone is returning for the 2021-22 season, the most notable of which being the aforementioned [player_tooltip player_id="159086" first="Harmony" last="Marquez"] and Jocelyn Rodriguez. The senior duo finished top-two last season in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals, combining to average 24.5 PPG in the spring. Marquez posted a season double-double average, with 13.5 PPG and 11.1 RPG last season and her presence in the middle will be beyond crucial to this team’s success this season. The same goes for Rodriguez, who is coming off career-highs in every statistical category as a junior, averaging double-figures in scoring for the first time in her high school career. That breakout season she had in the spring will hopefully translate into the winter as she’ll continue to develop and grow as a player. Looking outside of those two, we go to what turned out to a strong freshman class of five players who were impactful on the floor for Rutherford. Maya Forte and Alexandra Guzman are the highlights of that five-person class as both were consistent starters. Forte finished third in rebounding on the team and proved to be a crucial defensive piece as the season waned on. Guzman found her stride beyond the arc as nearly half of her scoring came from three. If she can step into more of those three-pointers this season, her scoring output is going to exponentially increase. Finishing off that class includes sophomores Tess Gambale, Coda Mearizo and Abigail Moller, all three of which will continue to compete for starting spots and will be key bench players this season. The final starter for this team is senior Veronica Amatucci, who finished third in scoring and second in blocks for the Bulldogs in the spring. She’s projected to continue to play in that flex forward position that will give her the chance to shine more from beyond the arc. Rutherford is going to benefit well from great team chemistry and that should keep them in the conversation without a doubt as one of the best in the conference this season.