Top 10 Returning Steals Leaders in Group 4

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Offense may come and go but defense is forever! And you know what they say… defense wins championships! These hoopers were locked in from start to finish last season and look to continue to pick pockets and show off their defensive prowess.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='414394' first='Alivia' last='Mauz'] | Williamstown</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>133 steals in 28 games; 4.8 spg</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Liv has totaled triple-digit steals in every season of HS basketball thus far and has the chance to do it one more time as a senior. Last season was her best to date, swiping eighteen more than the previous season and tying a career-high 10 steals (twice; against Washington Township and Cherry Hill West). The Braves play a difficult schedule, which means that Alivia can show off her defensive prowess against some of the top teams in the conference/state. She is certain to surpass the 400-mark for her career (currently at 351 steals) and may flirt with 500 before it's all said and done.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='865670' first='Alia' last='Johnson'] | Montgomery</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>117 steals in 26 games; 4.5 spg</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Just a freshman, Alia made her presence felt last season and established herself as a formidable defender. She notched a double-double in points &amp; steals with a season-best 10 steals against Voorhees (to go along with 12 points). With active hands and a get-after-it mentality, she wreaked havoc as the season wore on; 9 steals vs Roxbury, 8 steals vs Warren Hills, 9 steals vs College Achieve Central, 7 steals vs Trenton, etc. She quickly tallied the steals and became one of the scrappiest defenders in the Class of 2027.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='414398' first='Nevaeh' last='Banks'] | Paterson Eastside</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>103 steals in 25 games; 4.1 spg</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>She upped the ante in her junior season recording nearly the same amount of steals as she did in both her freshman and sophomore seasons combined! She tied a career-best 10 steals (part of a double-double performance against North Plainfield) and kept the intensity at 100 from start to finish, game after game. With her senior campaign kicking off in just a few weeks, Nevaeh has a great chance to surpass the 300-mark for her career by February.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='600912' first='Anna' last='Winters'] | Princeton</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>95 steals in 24 games; 4.0 spg</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Anna was locked in all last season, notching a career-high 8 steals on three separate occasions: vs WWPN, WWPS &amp; Piscataway. She nearly tripled her totals from her freshman year, testament to her laser focus and commitment to applying ball pressure. At this rate, she is sure to surpass 200 steals come February. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='600926' first='Izabella' last='Pardo'] | Perth Amboy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>98 steals in 25 games; 3.9</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Izabella's formidable two-way game wouldn't be complete without her suffocating defense! She was hot from the start last season, but really turned it up a notch in February! She went on a tear, recording a career-high 10 steals in three games from Feb 1st-8th, each one a part of double-double performances.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1048707' first='Imani' last='Mullings'] | Plainfield</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>103 steals in 27 games; 3.8 spg</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Plainfield played some really good teams last season, including nationally ranked Morris Catholic (NJ) and Group 1 State Champion University. The caliber of opponent never fazed Imani. In fact, she thrives when playing top tier competition! She's scrappy, physical &amp; fearless. She saved her best for the postseason, where she averaged just under 5 steals per contest in 3 NJSIAA playoff games!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='333551' first='Janaya' last='Meyers'] | Bayonne</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>100 steals in 26 games; 3.8 spg</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Janaya's do-it-all guard play wouldn't be complete, of course, without the lockdown defense she's well known for! The tougher the competition, the better she performed! She notched a wildly impressive 8 steals against national juggernaut Morris Catholic (NJ), 9 steals against an always-tough Teaneck &amp; 10 steals in two meetings with a fiery Hudson Catholic squad.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Gabriella Smith | Trenton</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>82 steals in 22 games; 3.7 spg</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gabriella did a great job being a constant defensive threat last season. It was obvious to tell that she really prided herself on that end of the floor and imposed her will nicely on opponents. She notched a season-high 8 steals on two separate occasions, against WWPN &amp; West Side. Now a senior, she'll look to put the clamps on even tighter as Trenton looks to make an impact in the CVC. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='600893' first='Alexis' last='Chambers'] | Paterson Eastside</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>92 steals in 25 games; 3.7 spg</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Alexis looked like a completely different player last season than from her freshman year. She always played good defense, but really turned it up a notch as a sophomore and solidified herself as a formidable defender. She recorded a season-high 7 steals in a January win over Bergen Tech and followed that up with five games where she recorded 6 steals. She'll look to eclipse 200 steals for her career by season's end.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jordyn Brown | Toms River North </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>91 steals in 26 games; 3.5 spg </em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jordyn was one of the Shore Conference's leaders in steals as a junior. She notched a season-high 7 steals three times: vs Pinelands, Central Regional &amp; TRE. She got crucial stops and helped TRN win close battles against TRE (34-31) &amp; TRS (59-53). Now a senior, she'll look to up the ante even more and possibly even reach 300 steals for her career.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->