Shore Conference Coaches Cup Quarterfinal Standouts
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Tournament after tournament is going on in New Jersey as the end of the season gets closer and closer. The Shore Conference is cooking up its own tournament this season, the Coaches Cup, a 13-team bracket that just finished up…
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Continue ReadingTournament after tournament is going on in New Jersey as the end of the season gets closer and closer. The Shore Conference is cooking up its own tournament this season, the Coaches Cup, a 13-team bracket that just finished up the quarterfinals on Friday. Here are some quarterfinal standouts from those games.
Megan Sias Megan Sias 6'3" | SF Toms River North | 2024 State NJ – Toms River North (2024)
Sias provided as complete a performance on this stage as you’re going to get, finishing with 14 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and three steals. She stood tall for the Mariners and made the difference in a close 37-27 win to help TRN advance to the semifinals. It’s her eighth multi-block game of the season, 13th multi-steal game and 13th game of 10+ points and 7+ rebounds of the season.
Danielle Gonzalez Danielle Gonzalez 5'9" | PF Middletown North | 2026 State NJ – Middletown North (2026)
It’s like clockwork with the sophomore Gonzalez, someone who’s been on fire recently for Middletown North, that she was able to put together a fantastic performance in a big win for this program. She finished with a career-high 19 points for the Lions, making Freehold Borough pay at the free throw line where she went 4-of-5. Gonzalez is stacking good games on top of good games, and it’s awesome to watch.
Christina Sikaras Christina Sikaras 5'5" | SG Freehold Boro | 2025 State NJ – Freehold Borough (2025)
Sikaras has put together a balanced junior season for Freehold Borough, showing great improvement across the board, and despite a losing effort on Friday, she was playing big, finishing with a team-high 17 points, along with six rebounds, two assists and three steals. Really impressive day for her as she’s averaging 13.7 points per game overall this season.
Sayuri Penaranda Sayuri Penaranda 5'8" | PF Freehold Borough | 2025 State NJ – Freehold Borough (2025)
One of the more consistent bigs in the Shore Conference, Penaranda recorded her 11th double-double of the season for Freehold Borough, finishing with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Even more impressive was her defensive prowess on the day, recording a pair of blocks as well as six steals, her third-such game with 5+ steals this season and eighth multi-block game this season.
Reece Paget Reece Paget SF Lacey | 2025 State NJ – Lacey (2025)
Lacey needed a big day from one of its best players and Paget delivered with a flurry of success on the floor on Friday. She finished with her fourth-straight double-double and sixth in seven games, 12 points and 11 rebounds for Lacey in a transformational season for her. She’s now got 13 double-doubles on the year, a career-high for her, and is close to averaging a double-double on the season.
Skylar Breen Skylar Breen PG Keyport | 2026 State NJ – Keyport (2026)
Breen put on a show with Keyport on Friday, there’s no other way of putting it. She was lights out and the lights were shining bright for her despite an unfortunate quarterfinal loss for her team. Breen matched her season-high with four made three-pointers, finishing with 20 points, five rebounds and seven assists, arguably her best single-game performance of her career.
Amanda MacGregor Amanda MacGregor 5'5" | PG Middletown South | 2025 State NJ – Middletown South (2025)
Every point was needed for Middletown South in a thriller of a game against Long Branch, but a crucial 20-point day from MacGregor made the path to winning that much more achievable in the end. Going 11-of-14 from the line, the junior guard finished with eight rebounds as well as that season-high 20-point effort, her seventh game scoring in double-figures this season.
Leomary Diaz-Merino Leomary Diaz-Merino SG Long Branch | 2025 State NJ – Long Branch (2025)
Diaz-Merino has truly reached new heights this season with Long Branch, becoming the superstar talent that they needed moving forward, and she once again delivered against Middletown South. Two made threes, 16 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals have continued the craziness for her as a junior, and right now, she’s averaging 17.2 PPG, 2.5 3PGM, 6.1 RPG, 3.4 APG and 3.2 SPG through 22 games played.
Leilani Andrews Leilani Andrews 5'6" | CG Long Branch | 2024 State NJ – Long Branch (2024)
It’s certainly been a tough go of things for Long Branch this season, but over its last nine games, the Green Wave are 6-3, thanks to the efforts of players like Andrews, who knocked down 2+ threes for her fourth-straight game. She finished with 14 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals, just a solid performance that’s continued a thread of consistency for her and this team. Friday ended up in a loss, but there were plenty of positives for sure.