Returning Defensive Masterminds in Central Jersey

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lockdown defense is the name of their game. Let's take a look at some returning defensive stoppers ready to wreak havoc yet again this season:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1134520' first='Ti'asjah' last='Ferguson'] | Bound Brook</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ferguson led the Crusaders in steals as a junior. With 98 cookies to her name, she made it tough for opponents to get established and execute set plays. Always scrappy, she averaged just under four steals per game (3.9 SPG). She tallied at least five steals in ten games throughout the season, one of those being a career-high 10 steals which was part of a double-double! A breakout year now sets the stage for possibly upping the ante recording triple-digit steals in Year 4.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='601517' first='Ava' last='Coyle'] | Shore </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A small and supremely scrappy two-way guard, Ava has been a nightmare on defense since freshman year. Since then, she's only stepped it up year after year and now finds herself at 255 career steals, largely in part to a huge junior campaign. Last season, she racked up 94 steals in 28 games, good for 3.4 SPG. Before her high school career wraps, she could very well find herself with upwards of 350 steals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='559077' first='Sidney' last='Smith'] | Roselle Park</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Not only was SIdney the scoring champ in NJ a season ago, she was also one of the leaders in steals! A two-way terror, she racked up 131 steals in just 22 games, good for an astounding 6.0 SPG. She recorded double-digit steals in three games, all part of monster double-double performances. A career-high 11 steals came in just the second game of her junior season against Dover. She could eclipse 300 career steals at some point in 2026.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ashley Moreira-Burgos | South Amboy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tallying 118 steals in 25 games, Ashley had an unforgettable junior season! Averaging 4.7 SPG, she tore through opponents all season long and at one point, recorded back-to-back games with 10 steals (both double-doubles). She also had three other games with seven steals and one with eight! Scrappy and tenacious, she put the clamps on and made her defense felt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='600913' first='Ava' last='Aldarelli'] | Robbinsville</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ava's junior season saw her post the most steals to date with 96, bringing her career total to 246. Now with her senior season ahead, she'll look to build on that and possibly even record triple-digit totals! Averaging 4.0 SPG, she did a remarkable job being disruptive and forcing turnovers at a rapid pace. She recorded nine games with at least 5 steals and posted a career-high 9 against Riverside, nearly notching a triple-double!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kimyah Carter | Lawrence</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Carter gets better and better on D with every passing season, last year being her best! A tenacious effort led to 84 steals, good for an average of 3.4 per game. On eight separate occasions, she racked up at least 5 steals, with a career-best 7 coming against WWPS and Medford Tech. With a big senior campaign, she could not only pass 200 steals for her career, but also flirt with 250!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='600912' first='Anna' last='Winters'] | Princeton</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Racking up an incredible 158 steals as a junior, Anna solidified her position as one of the best two-way players in the state. She posted two games with double-digit steals, one of them (11) part of a jaw-dropping QUADRUPLE-DOUBLE and the other being a career-high (12) vs Nottingham. She also impressively recorded back-to-back games with 9 steals [vs Trenton &amp; Delaware Valley]. At this pace, Winters is likely to cross the 400 mark for her career.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->