Returning Defensive (Blocks) Masterminds in North Jersey

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rim protection is the name of their game. Let's take a look at some returning defensive anchors ready to wreak havoc yet again this season:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='789169' first='Morgan' last='Fulston'] | Morris Catholic</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Playing arguably the toughest schedule in the state last season, Morgan blocked shots at a high clip against top tier, nationally ranked opponents. At just under three blocks per game (2.9 BPG), she recorded at least 4 blocks in ten games. Highlights included 6 vs St. Frances (MD), 5 vs Red Bank Catholic, 3 vs Mitty (CA), 3 vs SJV and a career-high 8 against Morristown-Beard. She enters her junior year just nine blocks removed from 100 for her career.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1201456' first='Sydney' last='Kittles'] | Montclair Kimberley</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sydney came in guns blazing in her freshman year! In twenty-two games, she swatted 72 shots for an average of 3.3 BPG. In just the second game of her high school career, she tallied 8 blocks vs Bloomfield and exactly one month later, she recorded a season-high 9 vs Kent Place. She is likely to eclipse 100 blocks for her career at some point in January.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='672138' first='Samantha' last='Woode'] | Carteret</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Samantha more than doubled her production from sophomore to junior year. With 52 blocks on paper in Year 3, she proved formidable in the paint wreaking havoc in the GMC. A career-best 10 blocks came against Timothy Christian, part of a remarkable triple-double performance. She is just 17 blocks removed from 100 for her career.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Emely Salce | Hawthorne Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Emely wasted no time getting acclimated to high school basketball. Her defense spoke volumes en-route to 2.8 BPG, including a season-high 10 blocks vs Midland Park. Other notable individual performances include 7 blocks against Lodi and 6 against Bergen Charter. She went on a tear to close out the season, averaging 4.1 BPG in February (10 games).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='773989' first='Juliet' last='Johnson'] | Morris Hills</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At 6'1", Juliet knows how to make use of every single inch! One of the state leaders in blocked shots last season at 134, she was a dominant force around the rim. Averaging 5.0 BPG through twenty-seven games, these was certainly no shortage of defense against some of the best teams on the schedule such as Westfield, Old Tappan, Madison and Chatham. She recorded a career-high 12 blocks vs West Essex [in the 1st Round of the playoffs], part of a triple-double performance. She also recorded at least 7 blocks in four other games, including 9 vs Hanover Park. She enters her junior year with 242 blocks to her name.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='601520' first='Allison' last='Snyder'] | Glen Ridge</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Allison's junior year saw her post double-digit blocks twice, including 10 vs Payne Tech which would mark her only triple-double of the season and second of her career. A career-high 13 blocks would come in the Group 1 state semifinal vs Mountain Lakes. She totaled triple-double swats for the second consecutive season, averaging 3.4 BPG through 32 contests.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kerla Mathurin | East Orange</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kerla tripled her production from sophomore to junior year, rejecting 96 shots in just 22 games, good for 4.4 BPG. It was her best season to date, upping the intensity and making a major impact for her team, guiding them to some big wins as the season rolled on. She notched her first ever triple-double vs North Star Academy in January, also swatting a career-best 10 blocks. She'll look to cross the 200-mark sometime in January and may even flirt with 250 before her career winds down.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->