Wednesday’s Finest in the Garden State
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This article is going to be a potpourri of basketball in New Jersey, not limited to a specific region or conference. Just a bunch of great performances to look over from Wednesday’s games, a full slate in the Garden State…
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Continue ReadingThis article is going to be a potpourri of basketball in New Jersey, not limited to a specific region or conference. Just a bunch of great performances to look over from Wednesday’s games, a full slate in the Garden State without a doubt.
Georgia Sode Georgia Sode 6'0" | C Brearley | 2027 State NJ – Brearley (2027)
Brearley might have come up just short of a win against Linden on Wednesday, but Sode had herself a day, no doubt about it, easily her best performance as a freshman. She finished with 13 points, 20 rebounds, four assists and three steals, career-highs in points, rebounds and assists in the process. If there was a breakout game that Brearley was looking for out of its freshman, the Bears got it.
Bridget Duffour – Mother Seton (2025)
Defense has been rewarded through the first two players listed as Duffour was clicking on all cylinders for Mother Seton in her second double-double performance of the season. She finished with 10 points and 17 rebounds, adding a block to the mix in a 34-25 win over Woodbridge Magnet. Don’t look now, but Mother Seton is 8-3 this season.
Katherine Donaldson Katherine Donaldson PG Kinnelon | 2024 State NJ – Kinnelon (2024)
Donaldson recently surpassed 500 career points and on Wednesday, the senior had one of her better career days to date, scoring 25 points on Villa Walsh in a losing effort. All but three points came in the lane as she was cooking down low. Unfortunately, Kinnelon came up short, ending a quick 3-1 run as its last three losses have been single-digit losses.
Rhaiyna Brown Rhaiyna Brown CG Timothy Christian | 2027 State NJ – Timothy Christian (2027)
Have a freshman season Rhaiyna Brown Rhaiyna Brown CG Timothy Christian | 2027 State NJ . If you don’t know about this Timothy Christian guard, now is your time to learn because she just posted her second-straight 30-point game, scoring 32 in a four-point win over Dunellen. She added seven steals to her day and knocked down five threes, currently averaging 3.1 made threes a game, 25.2 PPG and 5.7 SPG.
Sophie Jimenez – Dunellen (2025)
Brown was very evenly-matched on Wednesday as a trio of Dunellen players had solid games. We’re going to focus on the junior Sophie Jimenez for this as she posted a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double with three assists, a block and two steals. This junior year for her has been nothing short of fantastic, and we’re seeing much more consistency in performances like this out of her.
Analyse Intenzo Analyse Intenzo 5'10" | SG Moorestown | 2026 State NJ – Moorestown (2026)
Moorestown punched its ticket to the Elite Eight of the South Jersey Invitational Basketball Tournament on Wednesday thanks to a big day from its superstar sophomore. Intenzo knocked down four three-pointers, finishing with 16 points, 11 rebounds and two assists for the Quakers. It’s her second double-double of the season and 10th straight game scoring in double-figures.
Emma Thornton Emma Thornton 5'11" | C Barnegat | 2025 State NJ – Barnegat (2025)
At this point, it’s just tough to put into words just how good Thornton has been for Barnegat in her career, but maybe Wednesday’s performance can summarize it. Never before had she posted a 20/20 performance, but she did so against Manalapan, finishing with 29 points and 22 rebounds, shooting 17-of-19 (89.5 percent) from the foul line. She’s currently a 72.2 percent free throw shooter this season.
Vanessa Kohler Vanessa Kohler SF Highland Park | 2025 State NJ – Highland Park (2025)
Wednesday was a primetime matchup between two highly-acclaimed players in the Greater Middlesex Conference, and Kohler easily made her mark against South River. She posted her eighth double-double of the season and third-straight 24+ point performance, finishing with 26 points and 15 rebounds, arguably her best single-game performance to date. Highland Park unfortunately lost by 11 points on the night.
Natalia Vera Cruz Natalia Vera Cruz SF South River | 2024 State NJ – South River (2024)
On the other side of this showdown was the senior standout Vera Cruz, going toe-to-toe with Kohler and arguably getting the better of her on the day. She finished with 25 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and three blocks in South River’s 12th straight win overall. It was her 10th double-double, easily a season-high for her, and she’s averaging a double-double on the season.