2029 Rankings: From WATCH LIST to RANKED

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The following notable players had a strong freshman campaign, especially in the second half of the season, which greatly boosted their portfolios. They ascend into the Top 50 [of our Top 100] in this first update since the official January release.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1259183' first='McKenna' last='McGlyn'] | Morris Catholic</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ranking: #14</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McKenna has seen more minutes resulting in an uptick in production. Playing one of the most difficult schedules in the state, she has shown great promise, tallying three games in double-figures and playing fearless basketball against juggernauts like South Shore (NY), LuHi (NY), Msgr. Scanlan (NY) and St. John Vianney. She thrives in transition and her 3-point shot is very reliable, knocking in twenty-three triples in twenty-seven games this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1259194' first='Jaylee' last='Jackson'] | Roselle Catholic</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ranking: #15</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It didn't take long for Jaylee to get going this season! Just three games into the season, she tallied double-digit points (14) against Westfield. Two games later? 20 against Immaculata! She upped the ante in late January, kicking off a stretch of four consecutive games in double-figure scoring, including a season-high 22 points vs Cranford. She's showcasing strong shooting from distance with thirty-three triples and has proven to be an excellent rebounding guard with strong instincts. Regular season averages include 11.4 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.6 APG, &amp; 1.2 SPG.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1259180' first='Kayley' last='Smith'] | Edison</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ranking: #21</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A speed demon on the break, she blazes paths to the basket that defenders have a hard time stopping. Her freshman debut was delayed until early January, but since then, she recorded eight 20+ point games, including a season-high 28 vs South Plainfield. Her 3-point shot was red hot, sinking them at a clip of 2.3 per game, and she was locked in defensively, tallying 2.6 SPG. As she continues to add edge to her game, she'll be even tougher to contain.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1781237' first='Kaja' last='Lenczyk'] | Wayne Hills</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ranking: #25</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The freshman forward has racked up eight double-doubles in the regular season en-route to averages of 12.5 PPG &amp; 8.7 RPG. She's a force in the paint and a knockdown shooter beyond the arc, showing tremendous versatility in her game. She led the Patriots in points, rebounds and steals (3.8 SPG), proving to be a one-woman show, at times. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1259192' first='Alexa' last='Natusch'] | DePaul</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ranking: #35</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Alexa has shown great promise in her first season of high school hoops. Playing on a stacked squad like DePaul, she earned her minutes alongside nationally ranked superstars like [player_tooltip player_id='972291' first='Angelyn' last='Almonte'] and [player_tooltip player_id='981887' first='Giovanna' last='Burress']. She posted double-figure scoring in three games, including a season-high of 15 points vs Holy Angels. She displayed glimpses of an emerging all-court game, averaging 5.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.0 APG &amp; 2.1 SPG.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1259136' first='Rose' last='Kraus'] | Pope John</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ranking: #41</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A steady force in the back court alongside Lehigh-bound [player_tooltip player_id='601267' first='Mia' last='Washington'], she grabbed the bull by the horns mid-season and made a big impact. During the regular season, she tallied six games in double-digit scoring, including a season-high 15 points in a win over Paramus Catholic. Hot 3-point shooting has led the way, sinking them at a clip of nearly two per game. Her two-way game continues to improve, averaging 1.6 SPG and recording four steals twice this season, vs Sparta and Morris Knolls.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1784141' first='Brooke' last='Morgan'] | West Morris</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ranking: #43</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Things really kicked into high gear after Brooke's 21-point outing vs Lakeland in late December. She turned up the heat for the rest of the regular season, notching seven more games in double-figures, including a season-high 22 points vs Roxbury. Her 3-point shooting got better and better as the games rolled on, averaging nearly two threes per contest. Defensively, she was rock solid from beginning to end, racking up fifty-eight steals in twenty-four games, good for 2.4 SPG. She ranked second on the team in both points (9.1 PPG) and steals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->