Sunday’s Best in New Jersey

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're going to keep doing these updates as much as we can this season, whether it be every couple of days or every day, but there definitely was some big time basketball to be played on Sunday. Time to take a look at who stood out in a loaded slate of games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='325206' first='Demi' last='Simpson'] - Teaneck (2024)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Teaneck has not missed a beat to begin this season and neither has Simpson, posting her first double-double of the season in a 37-point win over Woodbury. Her 15 points were second on the team, leading the pack in rebounds to get things going. She was one of two players with a double-double in the game for Teaneck and for the second-straight game, she recorded three or more blocks, finishing with four.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='406951' first='Rachel' last='Castela'] - Mount St. Mary (2024)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mount St. Mary might have dropped its first game of the season on Sunday, but Castela continued her hot start beyond the arc to her senior season. She finished with a team-high 16 points, seven rebounds and two assists, but most impressively, she knocked down five threes, her second-straight game hitting four or more. Really impressive stuff from the guard.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Erin Reed - Rumson Fair-Haven (2026)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've already gotten a chance to talk about Rumson Fair-Haven this season, and on Sunday, it was a new face who stood out. Sophomore Erin Reed took matters into her own hands, finishing with a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double that saw her get to the foul line 11 times. Reed shot 82 percent from the line in RFH's 15-point win, and has settled well into a starting role for the Bulldogs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='559132' first='Brielle' last='Alaba'] - Cherokee (2026)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If the breakout wasn't last season for Alaba, it surely will be this season with a year of high school ball under her belt. She dazzled against St. Thomas Aquinas, scoring a career-high 29 points in a single-digit victory for the Chiefs. It's her first 20-point game of her career and through her first two games of the season, Alaba is averaging 24.0 PPG and 2.5 made three-pointers a game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='333308' first='Nyasia' last='Pauldo'] - Paterson Eastside (2025)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pauldo has come out of the gates strong for Paterson Eastside in her junior season, and Sunday saw her post her second 20-point game of her career and her second in as many games. She finished with 22 points, along with two rebounds and two assists, knocking down a pair of threes. Thirteen free throw attempts in one game is a new career-high for her, shooting 77 percent from the charity stripe.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='333302' first='Mia' last='Pauldo'] - Morris Catholic (2025)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The top prospect in our Class of 2025 rankings was back at it again for the Crusaders as they took down Ewing in an 18-point victory. Pauldo had a game, finishing with 17 points, three rebounds, five assists and five 3-pointers for Morris Catholic, her third-straight 17+ point performance to being the season. She's averaging four made threes a game through her first three games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='333309' first='Daniella' last='Matus'] - St. John Vianney (2025)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Daniella, welcome to your first signature moment and game in a St. John Vianney uniform. Facing off against Life Center, the junior standout led the Lancers with a 26-point performance, tying a career-high by sinking seven threes in the win. It's her first 20-point game with SJV and her first since Feb. 13 against Morristown-Beard, one of three 20-point games with Morris Catholic as a sophomore.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->