Must-Watch Games: Paul VI v Camden Catholic

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're continuing what we hope to be a really fun series moving forward this season, which is our must-watch games in New Jersey for the 2022-23 high school girls basketball season. Having already done, it's time to ramp this up with some new teams and new players, so let's take a trip down to South Jersey for a highly-anticipated matchup between two Olympic Conference opponents: Paul VI and Camden Catholic.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Eagles and Irish will play each other twice this season: Jan. 10, 2023 and Feb. 2, 2023.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Paul VI: 24-4 in 2021-22, 13-0 in Olympic Conference </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Paul VI has easily one of the most exciting teams in New Jersey for this upcoming girls basketball season, led by a top-5 prospect in the nation and our No. 1 prospect in the Garden State, [player_tooltip player_id='134645' first='Hannah' last='Hidalgo']. The senior guard recently announced her commitment to play for Notre Dame, and she leads quite the exciting group of players.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If you haven't seen just how incredible Hidalgo has been as a player, just check tape across social media and YouTube because she's going to be must-watch television this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Alongside Hidalgo are juniors [player_tooltip player_id='325212' first='Eva' last='Andrews'] and [player_tooltip player_id='488637' first='Shariah' last='Baynes'], two up-and-coming guards who had much-improved sophomore seasons and are en route to potential all-conference seasons with the Eagles. Andrews is much more of a shooter while Baynes is the point guard, the focal point up top.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='414234' first='Azanah' last='Campbell'] had a fantastic freshman season for Paul VI and returns as a great impact presence inside the perimeter and what we expect to be a much-improved player overall. Also on the inside is senior [player_tooltip player_id='481502' first='Mikayla' last='Young'], the leading rebounder for the Eagles who should be continuing to dominate on the glass.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>You know exactly what you're getting with Paul VI and that's a high-octane offense and a team always on the move and working really fast in transition and in fast-break situations.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Camden Catholic: 22-6 in 2021-22, 13-3 in Olympic Conference</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Camden Catholic had its struggles against Paul VI last season, but improved tremendously after a 62-43 loss, losing just 59-51 to the Eagles later in the year. The Irish are far from pushovers and have some superstars on their roster that are Division 1 bound.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Those superstars are senior guards [player_tooltip player_id='134752' first='Aaryn' last='Battle'] and [player_tooltip player_id='155448' first='Kassidy' last='Thompson'], headed to UMass Amherst and Quinnipiac, respectively. We've talked about the duo numerous times before because of just what they've been able to bring to the table, prolific scorers and fantastic playmakers. Battle is also one of the best passers in the Olympic Conference without a doubt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>From there, we'll be seeing the emergency of two lesser-known players: sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='525409' first='Darby' last='Chhabria'] and senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='481503' first='Carly' last='O'Callaghan']. O'Callaghan will need to step up in a big way to make up for the loss of last year's starting forward, Sarah Johnson. Her tall frame and and long wingspan lend herself perfectly to this. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're expecting increases in scoring, rebounding and shot-blocking over the course of the season and she should be one of the premier forwards in the conference. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Heading over to Chhabria, she'll be needing to make some massive strides moving forward as a guard because the backcourt is going to shrink immensely in size next season with Battle and Thompson gone. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That's going to add pressure, but Chhabria is a hard worker, someone who can work the court to get scoring going both inside and outside the perimeter and she's also a taller guard, something that will play when shooting. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Game</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If last year's finale between the two teams was any indication of what to expect this season, it's going to be a dogfight out there and we're beyond excited for it!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->