Bergen County Tournament Preliminary Round Preview Pt. 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've reached tournament season in New Jersey, with county and region tournaments soon to take place or having already started. One of the more highly-anticipated upcoming tournaments is the Bergen County Tournament as the preliminary round begins on January 26 with eight games taking place. We're splitting those in half, talking about prospects to look out for from each game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Annika Kivisikk - Park Ridge (2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While the spotlight will undoubtedly be on [player_tooltip player_id='414430' first='Allie' last='Shenloogian'], one of the top sophomores in the state, attention will undeservedly be off of Kivisikk, who is quitely having a strong season for Park Ridge. Her defense has shined the most, averaging 8.1 RPG, 0.9 BPG and 1.7 SPG in 15 games this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='414410' first='Juliet' last='Schwartz'] - Tenafly (2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Schwartz is growing into her role as a forward for Tenafly really well and has capitalized off the play of teammate [player_tooltip player_id='134751' first='Rylie' last='Theuerkauf']. The two have created one of the best three-point shooting tandems in the state, with Schwartz having already hit 24 threes this season, averaging just a shade over 10.0 PPG as a sophomore.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Natalia Valdez - Dwight-Englewood (2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were two freshman options to pick from at Dwight-Englewood, but we went with Valdez, who's currently leading the Bulldogs in made three-pointers this season. She's stretched the floor well and has stepped up against the pressure of playing as a starter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ava Tarabokisa - Paramus (2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Taraboskia has played in just six games for Paramus this season, the last six games to be exact, and she's already blown past the production she had as a freshman, averaging 6.2 PPG in that time, including a career-high nine points on Jan. 20 against Dumont.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Quinn Duffy - Ridgewood (2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While not really standing out in any specific category, Duffy is filling up the stat sheet and has shown progress across the board, able to be productive in a number of ways for Ridgewood. She's both a shooter and an interior offensive player, plus a great, lock-down defender and shot-blocker the other way.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Laila Jones - Fort Lee (2023)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fort Lee has deservedly gotten out to a 14-3 start this season thanks to an experienced, senior-heave lineup, with Jones being one of the standouts in their starting five. She's been a blossoming talent, averaging 12.7 PPG, 2.8 APG and 2.6 SPG as a senior.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='879722' first='Hannah' last='McGurr'] - Ramsey (2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McGurr was definitely a productive player as a freshman, but she's taken her game to the next level as a sophomore and is playing with more confidence, more maturity with experience under her belt, and is playing loose. Averaging 8.3 PPG in her last four games, she wants the ball in her hands and has shown she can make impact plays.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Isabella Fontanez - Fair Lawn (2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Reaching last year's production totals in nearly 10 less games, Fontanez has been relied upon much more heavily this season, but has produced more as a result. She's welcomed pressure and while being challenged on the floor, has made some spectacular plays and is relishing in the opportunity as a fringe starter/sixth woman role.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->