South v Shore Showcase Senior Standouts
Last weekend, a number of teams from South Jersey and the Shore Conference met at Rancocas Valley High School for the South v Shore Showcase. The one-day event was jam-packed with talented players from the two regions. Here are some…
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Continue ReadingLast weekend, a number of teams from South Jersey and the Shore Conference met at Rancocas Valley High School for the South v Shore Showcase. The one-day event was jam-packed with talented players from the two regions. Here are some of the standouts from the South v Shore Showcase.
Iris Azcona – SG, Red Bank Regional
The transfer from Florence HS has continued her successful high school career at Red Bank Regional and is a well-balanced guard with perimeter shooting ability and a great ability to stuff the stat sheet. She’s shown herself to shoot the ball well and can utilize it as a decoy with a pump fake from the three-point line as she drives to the basket. Azcona is fantastic at luring defenders over on offense and creating defensive traps on the other side of the floor. She facilitates the ball well but also in driving often into the lane, she knows how to draw contact and has been a stellar free throw shooter.
Zamiyah Johnson – 5-9 F/G, Eastern
Johnson has more heavily been involved within Eastern’s playbook this season and she’s benefitted greatly from it. She has a fantastic midrange game and is very aggressive in and around the lane. She’s been more of a factor on the defensive end so far this season and has given the Vikings a second forward to rely on along with Mia Robbins Mia Robbins 5'11" | C Eastern Regional | 2022 State NJ . Johnson has a long wingspan which she’s utilized to block shots at a relatively high clip, just over one a game so far. That intensity plays well into her game as she’s made her presence bigger in the paint and is making opponents think twice about shooting on her.
Myah Hourigan – 5-8 G, Manchester Township
Hourigan has stepped up in a big way this season to help fill the void left by Destiny Adams and is a more effective and dominant player than any previous point in high school. With more attention being placed on her in the starting lineup, Hourigan has led the point for the Hawks and is a more confident and mature guard as a result. She’s shooting well from beyond the arc and has been a fantastic facilitator to her teammates, racking up assists every game. Her rebounding has exponentially increased as well and she’s been very aggressive on the glass. There’s a good possibility that Hourigan could be averaging a double-double by season’s end.
Natalia Barrera – PF, Gloucester Township
Barrera is having her best offensive season for Gloucester Township this season and it’s a testament to the work she’s put in getting stronger in the middle. She doesn’t look timid when she receives the ball on offense and has that fire in her eye to make things happen and get to the basket for a high-percentage scoring opportunity. Barrera excels best when she’s posting up on the block and she’s benefitted greatly from that when it comes to higher production numbers so far this season.
Katherine Martini – 6-1 C/PF, Holmdel
Martini was very impressive against an undefeated Haddon Heights team and really used her height to her advantage. She was posting up well down low and was finishing strong at the basket. Martini is one to welcome contact as she’s a great shooter overall and her height plays a role not just on offense, but even more on defense. She creates mismatches on both sides of the floor, but more importantly as a defender, she stands tall and is agile when attacking as a shot-blocker. Martini is a smart defender and can take over a game at any point.
Maddie Bell – C, Lacey
Bell is having a career year for Lacey in her third season on varsity and has finally found her touch in the middle. In recent games, Bell has had a string of consecutive double-doubles and she’s gone from a role player to a go-to playmaker for this team. You can see the confidence in her overall attitude on the floor and she’s been making closer-range shots at a much higher clip this season. We’ve been impressed by how well she commands the lane and how she creates spaces on both sides of the ball to gain an advantage. Her box-out skills have greatly improved as well when rebounding.
Marissa Lucca – 5-6 PG/SG, Washington Township
Lucca is arguably Washington Township’s best player this season and she’s come up clutch in some big moments for the Minutemaids. She’s played with more maturity and composure on the floor which has allowed her to find more open scoring lanes. We’ve seen her have an even dispersion of shots on offense and her range has expanded greatly over the past year or so. She has a quick release on her shot and this season, we’re seeing her shoot more threes at a higher percentage and making them more efficiently as well. Lucca controls the point for Washington Township and is running the offense like a well-oiled machine.