NJSIAA North Jersey Sect. 2, Group 2 Final Standouts
Sectional finals week has already wrapped up with with the semifinals of the Tournament of Champions now underway. There’s still so much to talk about when it comes to those sectional finals. In North Jersey, the Section 2, Group 2…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingSectional finals week has already wrapped up with with the semifinals of the Tournament of Champions now underway. There’s still so much to talk about when it comes to those sectional finals. In North Jersey, the Section 2, Group 2 sectional final between No. 1 seeded Hackettstown and No. 2 seeded Madison was a great one, with Madison coming out on top, 48-32. Here are some standouts from Tuesday’s action.
Luciana Ferrara (Sr.) – 5-9 SF/PF, Hackettstown
Ferrara led Hackettstown in scoring in the sectional final with 11 points, 11 rebounds and a block, recording a double-double in her final three high school games. She plays as an undersized forward, but her ability to create space in the lane and attack the glass for rebounds is really unmatched. It’s impressive watching her operate as a post player because her creativity is what gets her baskets and gets her to the foul line.
Rylie Grant (Jr.) – 5-9 SF/PF, Hackettstown
Grant worked hard for her five points in the sectional final, with all five exclusively coming at the foul line. She finished with six rebounds and two steals in the game for Hackettstown, utilizing her size in the paint to draw contact. Grant has been the best scorer for the Tigers this season, averaging 13.5 PPG and knocking down 3.5 foul shots a game. The more scoring opportunities she gets inside the perimeter, the more she’s going to capitalize on them.
Frankie Cartagena (Sr.) – 5-7 G, Hackettstown
Cartagena nearly knocked down two three-pointers a game on average and in the sectional final, she hit two threes on her way to an eight-point night. Watching her development this season, Cartagena was always a solid perimeter shooter, but this season in particular, she improved her shooting motion and developed a quicker release. It’s helped increase her range on the floor and helped her become a more efficient shooter overall.
Alex Reigle (Jr.) – PF, Madison
Reigle had herself a solid sectional final performance, scoring six points along with 11 rebounds, one block and three steals. It was her 10th double-figure rebounding game of the season and it came at just the right time. Reigle was very active on the defensive end for Madison as she’s been the entire year. Her court awareness was on full display in this game as she locked down a solid Hackettstown defense in the paint.
Beau Braverman (So.) – PG/SG, Madison
Braverman put in one of the best performances for her of the season, scoring a game-high 17 points along with two three-pointers in the win. She made just four field goals in the game, but her ability to create scoring opportunities in the lane got her to the foul line a number of times. Braverman is great at drawing contact on the shot and as a sophomore, she really has a great offensive feel for the game. She knocked down seven foul shots in the game and helped turn momentum by slowing down the game to her and Madison’s speed.
Charlotte Tuhy (Fr.) – SF/PF, Madison
Tuhy was two rebounds away from her ninth double-double of the season, scoring 13 points and hauling in eight rebounds. She knocked down two three-pointers in the game and looked great shooting the long ball. It’s really worked well within Tuhy’s repertoire this season and it’s complimented her play well. Arguably most impressive about her performance was her three steals, helping to solidify a strong perimeter defense for Madison and really preventing Hackettstown from getting settled in the game.
Gabby Mariani (Fr.) – PG/SG, Madison
There is a strong younger influence on this Madison team as the underclassmen have played a big role this season, like Mariani, who had three points, four rebounds, five assists and five steals in the sectional final victory. It was her eighth game of five or more steals this season and 15th game with four or more steals. She’s a well-balanced overall player who can do it all on the floor. That defense is something to really pay attention to during the AAU season because Mariani is a really stellar on-ball defender.