Can’t-Miss NJSIAA North Jersey Sect. 2, Group IV Forwards
Tuesday marks the sectional final in the NJSIAA North Jersey Group 4 bracket between top-seeded Westfield and No. 6 seeded Hillsborough. There’s been a lot of basketball to discuss and a lot of action to go through. With the championship…
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Continue ReadingTuesday marks the sectional final in the NJSIAA North Jersey Group 4 bracket between top-seeded Westfield and No. 6 seeded Hillsborough. There’s been a lot of basketball to discuss and a lot of action to go through. With the championship on Tuesday, here are some of the top forwards we saw throughout the tournament thus far.
Emma Landes (So.) – 5-9 SF, Ridge
Landes has had herself quite the sophomore season and in Ridge’s two tournament games, she averaged 11.0 PPG and 8.0 RPG. She was also quite active when it came to drawing contact, knocking down five free throws a game on average in NJSIAA tournament play. It’s impressive to see the transformation she’s gone through to become this massive difference-maker in the post and her scoring/rebounding combo has made her into one of the best forwards in the region.
Precious Wheeler (Fr.) – F, Franklin
Wheeler played a big role for Franklin immediately as a freshman, playing into what looked to be a six or seven-woman player rotation this season. Where the freshman forward has excelled most has been her shot-blocking, which has catapulted her into a conversation as one of the best young forwards in the Skyland Conference. Her wingspan and vertical allow her to get to shots not many others can get to and it’s made her a defensive threat this season.
Damani Anderson (Jr.) – 5-10 F, Elizabeth
Despite an early exit in the tournament, Anderson was impressive and played impressing toward the end of the season. Her eight-point, 12-rebound performance against Ridge kept Elizabeth in the game and her two blocks and five steals made the difference on the defensive end of the floor. Anderson is a confident shot-blocker and a player who has great court awareness and a high basketball IQ. It’s given her the ability to really open up the middle to allow herself to operate.
Monet Gonda (Jr.) – PF/C, Phillipsburg
Gonda has been the impact presence in the middle that really carried Phillipsburg and gave the program interior stability. Having her as a reliable front-court producer who can not only score at will but dominate the glass is such a big help. Her best game came in the first round against Watchung Hills, a 19-point, 12-rebound double-double along with two blocks. She was unstoppable in that game and showcased the kind of ceiling we expect she can hit next season.
Sutton Factor (Jr.) – SF, Westfield
Factor was in fact a big factor for Westfield as the Blue Devils have advanced to the sectional final. She’s a player who fills the stat sheet well and while her numbers haven’t yet gotten to that point, she’s the kind of player you expect to be able to put up a triple-double. Factor can score well, she can box out and rebound and she knows how to pass and find open teammates. That’s the kind of well-rounded player you want to see leading a team and Factor is setting herself up nicely for the fall to do just that.
Christina Midgette (Sr.) – 5-10 F, Franklin
Franklin’s sectional run ended in the semis and so did Midgette’s high school career, but not before she put up three spectacular performances in the postseason. Midgette capped off her career with a 37-point, 11-rebound double-double in a close loss to Hillsborough and was unstoppable in the truest sense. She’s such a gifted scorer and can rebound as well as anyone in the region. There’s so much that makes Midgette as elite as she became and she ended her high school career just about as good as anyone could ask for.