PGH New Jersey’s South Jersey Player of the Year & Finalists

PGH New Jersey&#8217;s South Jersey Player of the Year &amp; Finalists

Prep Girls Hoops Staff

March 19, 2023 @ 05:18 PM

As we've done for the whole of New Jersey, it's time to break things up for our Player of the Year awards into regions of the Garden State. We start out in South Jersey in this article, and our Player of the Year in the region shouldn't come as a surprise to you at all.   <h2>South Jersey Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='134645' first='Hannah' last='Hidalgo'] - Paul VI (2023)</h2>   Hidalgo just missed out on being named Prep Girls Hoops New Jersey's Player of the Year overall, and she was a no-doubter for this award in South Jersey. Helping guide Paul VI to the South Jersey Non-Public A title game against St. John Vianney, the Gatorade Player of the Year in NJ averaged 28.8 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 5.1 APG and 7.3 SPG this season. From 40-point performances against the best teams in the state to triple-doubles and everything in-between, she elevated her game this season to a point that not many have seen in the history of New Jersey high school girls basketball   <h2>Finalists</h2>   [player_tooltip player_id='155448' first='Kassidy' last='Thompson'] - Camden Catholic (2023)   What we saw from Thompson this season, coming off a career year as a junior, was even more improvement and more success than she's ever had, averaging 18.1 PPG in 31 games for the Irish along with 6.3 RPG, 2.0 SPG and 50 three-pointers. She ended her high school career with a flourish, scoring 20 or more points in 10 of her final 12 games, averaging 22.2 PPG over that stretch. She's an absolute baller and will continue to do so at Quinnipiac next season.   [player_tooltip player_id='134757' first='Gabby' last='Recinto'] - Cherokee (2023)   Question marks arose about whether Cherokee could repeat as SJ Group IV champs this season, and Recinto shut those questions down with a career year, accounting for 31.8 percent of the Chiefs' scoring on the season. She averaged 14.9 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.6 SPG and 0.7 BPG in 31 games as a senior, putting up three 20+ point performances in her final six games, including two-straight 22-point games in the NJSIAA Group IV state playoffs.   [player_tooltip player_id='414340' first='Macie' last='McCracken'] - Wildwood (2025)   McCracken was en fuego during her sophomore season, becoming just the second player in school history to reach the 1000 point club as a sophomore. We're witnessing one of the best three-point shooters in the country with her as she hit 103 this season, averaging 22.3 PPG in 29 games. McCracken has nearly 170 made three-pointers and doubled her steals total from a year previous, with 128 on the season (4.4 a game).   [player_tooltip player_id='321557' first='Nir' last='Nir Cherry-Montague'] - Atlantic City (2023)   It was shock and awe when Atlantic City upset No. 1 seeded Shawnee in the SJ Group IV playoffs, and that was all thanks to the future Mississippi State forward, who put on a display of talent down low unseen in the state. Cherry-Montague finished the season averaging a double-double, with 17.3 PPG and 12.7 RPG, but she was a great passer with 3.3 APG and a best in the middle with 3.5 BPG and 2.5 SPG.   [player_tooltip player_id='155443' first='Alexis' last='Davis'] - Woodbury (2023)   One of a select few in the 2000 point, 1000 rebound club, Davis had one of the most prolific careers in state history and ended it with a splash as a senior. In just 21 games, she averaged 25.5 PPG and 20.2 RPG, leading the state in total rebounds and rebounds per game, not to mention 1.4 BPG and 1.5 SPG. Davis finished the season with a dozen 20-20 games, more than doubling her career total.

As we've done for the whole of New Jersey, it's time to break things up for our Player of the Year awards into regions of the Garden State. We start out in South Jersey in this article, and our Player of the Year in the region shouldn't come as a surprise to you at all.