Friday’s Finest: Top Performers from Dec. 15

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>High school basketball is back and better than ever in New Jersey. The girls basketball season has begun, meaning plenty of high-flying excitement ready to present to you. We also had the start of the always-exciting Shore Games, featuring some of the best teams in the state. Here's a quick look at the best of the best from Friday's games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='406936' first='Allison' last='Cannon'] - Holmdel (2024)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What a game for the senior guard for Holmdel, the backbone of the Hornets. She put together a dominant performance against Marlboro, scoring a season-high 23 points, along with three rebounds, seven assists, three 3-pointers and an incredible nine steals. Cannon out-scored Marlboro on her own in a 55-20 win as Holmdel moves to 2-0 on the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='559037' first='Taylor' last='Sofilkanich'] - St. John Vianney (2026)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. John Vianney started off this season with a bang, a 58-51 win over Dr. Phillips (FL), and it was the sophomore forward who led the charge with a 25-point performance down low. It's a career-high for Sofilkanich, who scored just 80 total points as a freshman for the Lancers. She added in four rebounds, three blocks and four steals to her big day.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='325182' first='Taylor' last='Derkack'] - Colonia (2024)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When we saw 16 steals from Derkack, we had to do a double-take because she was just two rebounds away from a triple-double in Colonia's season-opener. The future college star finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and those 16 steals, adding in four assists just for fun. Really solid all-around performance for the Patriots, a 50-point win over Camden to start the year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='859224' first='Ella' last='Mason'] - Rumson Fair-Haven (2024)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The threes were coming down hard for the senior guard for Rumson Fair-Haven as the Bulldogs escaped with a 43-42 win, hitting nine threes overall. Seven of those came from Mason, who finished with 21 points, all coming behind the arc, and is nearly a third of the way to her three-point total for last season already. Those 21 points were also a career-high for her.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='583705' first='Kiyanna' last='Blacks-Stewart'] - Paul VI (2025)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Blacks-Stewart was a big transfer pickup for Paul VI from Camden Catholic and she already had a big impact for the Eagles in a massive win over St. Rose. Facing a tough opponent and a 17-point performance from their superstar, [player_tooltip player_id='559070' first='Jada' last='Lynch'], the Eagles had their own big-time game out of the junior forward, finishing with a double-double, 12-points and 10 rebounds, en route to a 58-49 victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='677603' first='Arielle' last='Edwards'] - Hudson Catholic (2027)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Not every game that will be played will be pretty as Hudson Catholic grinded out a 29-25 win over Colts Neck at the Shore Games. Edwards had one of the most complete performances of the night and contributed well defensively to a win, finishing with six points and a game-high 12 rebounds. The freshman was really active on the boards and made the difference on the glass needed in a low-scoring affair.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='414340' first='Macie' last='McCracken'] - Wildwood (2025)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The junior has just made things look easy during her high school career, once again dominant on Friday. Wildwood strung together a 34-point win, and McCracken paced all players with 22 points, nine rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals. Let's not forget three 3-pointers too, not a bad way to start out her junior season for the Warriors.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='414404' first='Vanessa' last='Kohler'] - Highland Park (2025)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Have a season opener [player_tooltip player_id='414404' first='Vanessa' last='Kohler']. What a performance from the junior out of Highland Park, who put on a show against Somerset Tech. She led the Owls with 23 points, six rebounds and five steals, adding on four assists and two made 3-pointers in a 50+ point victory. Kohler is no stranger to big performances, but everything was working in unison for her, no doubt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='406998' first='Jackie' last='Schels'] - Wallkill Valley (2024)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Schels' performance unfortunately got overshadowed in a 34-point loss against Morris Tech, but a fantastic game for her deserves some praise. You don't see 30-point double-doubles often, but Schels did just that, finishing with 30 points and 13 rebounds, sinking two 3-pointers and racking up three blocks and two steals. What more can you say about someone who scored nearly 80 percent of a team's points in one game?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->