AC Showcase: Friday’s Finest

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was an action packed weekend at the Atlantic City Convention Center. College coaches were everywhere and these players had a great effort on Friday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Adrienne Abalos - [program_tooltip program_id='714654' first='NJ' last='Shoreshots']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Adrienne is an aggressive perimter defender. Against NJ Rebels, she got steals on the perimeter and attacked the rim hard drawing contact. She was patient with the ball on offense and played in the flow of the game. Always had her head up with the ball and hit open cutters. She saw time in 16 games for Gloucester Catholic HS as a freshman. This team that cruised to the Non-Public B State Championship is losing their top 3 scorers so their will be opportunities for Adrienne to make a bigger impact as a sophomore.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1259152' first='Natalie' last='Whitehead'] - [program_tooltip program_id='714654' first='NJ' last='Shoreshots']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Natalie is a hard driving guard. In a closely contested win over NJ Rebels, she attacked the paint and got to two feet. She is a tough finisher and showed a nice floater on baseline drives. On a senior laden Red Bank Catholic HS team that coasted to a Non-Public A State Championship. Natalie appeared in 16 games and will be the 3rd leading returning scorer next season for RBC.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Viviana Della Pesca - [program_tooltip program_id='714654' first='NJ' last='Shoreshots']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Viviana showed a nice shooting stroke. She knocked down the 3 ball on catch and shoot from the corner against NJ Rebels. She was able to get shots off against strong closeouts. Viviana also did an excellent job of hitting the post and cutting to the rim off of it. She saw action in 11 games as a freshman for Colts Neck HS.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1247945' first='Mia' last='Pratola'] - NJ Rebels</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mia is a smooth playing PG for the NJ Rebels. She is clearly the team leader. She is a facilitator and an inside-out scorer. She drove hard against [program_tooltip program_id='714654' first='NJ' last='Shoreshots'], drew contact and made FTs. Mia showed great IQ in the pick and roll game with patience hitting cutters to the rim and shooters on pick and pop. She led Southern HS in scoring, 3-pointers and blocks as a freshman.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1259159' first='Mikayla' last='Blahut'] - NJ Rebels</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mikayla is an attacking guard. She likes to drive hard to the rim and finish strong with her left hand. She takes good angles to create space on her finishes. She rebounded well at both ends against [program_tooltip program_id='714654' first='NJ' last='Shoreshots'] and on offense she grabbed boards, kept it high and finished inside. She led Southern in rebounds and steals as a freshman and was 2nd in scoring behind fellow NJ Rebels teammate [player_tooltip player_id='1247945' first='Mia' last='Pratola'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1259161' first='Juliana' last='McGinnis'] - NJ Rebels</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aggressive defense is what stands out when you watch Juliana. Against [program_tooltip program_id='714654' first='NJ' last='Shoreshots'], she pressured the ball on the perimeter and did an excellent job digging on dribble drives, knocking balls loose and turning those deflections into transition opportunites for her NJ Rebels teammates. Juliana was part of a talented group of 5 freshman at Southern HS who will be a threat in NJ for the next few years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Addison Anacker - CJ Hawks</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Addison is a guard who likes to push the tempo of the game, get defenders on their heels and get downhill. Against CT Hoopsters, she was aggressive taking good angles to the rim and finishing at the rim. As a sophomore at Central Regional HS, Addison lead the team in 3-pointers and was 2nd in scoring. With their leading scoring graduating, Addison's numbers should only increase as a junior. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='982716' first='Violet' last='Azcona'] - [program_tooltip program_id='987734' first='NJ' last='Demons']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Violet is strong with the ball. She finds ways to get to the rim and finish through traffic while drawing contact. Against Firecrackers S40, she showed a high defensive IQ. As an off the ball defender, she was always well positioned and knew when to take chances and when to help. She was 2nd on the Piscataway HS team in scoring and 3-point shooting and led the team in steals as part of a talented sophomore class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1201476' first='Lucy' last='Eibeler'] - [program_tooltip program_id='987734' first='NJ' last='Demons']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lucy showed great guard skills against Firecrackers S40. Defensively, she guarded on the perimeter with physicality while not fouling. On offense, she was very patient with the ball in her hands. She tests the defense for opportunities to drive and is calm in backing the ball out if opportunites aren't there. When she backs it out, she draws defenders and finds cutters. She repeatedly found cutters to the rim throughout the game. She led Ranney HS in assists as a sophomore and was 2nd in rebounding as part off a talented sophomore trio.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1764121' first='Autumn' last='Sidney'] - AUF Lady Hawks</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Autumn showed a solid handle against Burns Elite. She showed good strength with the ball. She was able to repeatedly get in the lane and either get up a good shot or dish to open teammates. On the defensive end, she was talkative and rebounded well on the weak side of the zone. She scored 137 points over 21 games as a freshman at Westampton Tech HS, led the team in steals and was 2nd in assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1667602' first='Claire' last='Gorczynski'] - AUF Lady Hawks</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Claire is always cutting hard through the paint looking for the ball. She shows her hands, catches it clean and scores inside on those cuts. She also showed a nice stroke hitting a pull up jumper in transtion against Burns Elite off an assist from [player_tooltip player_id='1764121' first='Autumn' last='Sidney']. Claire was 2nd at Lawrence HS in 3-pointers and assists as a sophomore and 3rd in points, rebounds and steals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Kinsleigh Vanderburg - iBelieve S40</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kinsleigh is a strong rebounder and good finisher around the rim. Against East Coast Panthers, she showed a good handle on the perimeter. She was patient with the ball and a willing passer into the post. She did a great job driving to the block in transition, getting to two feet and finishing through contact.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Serenity Matthews - Dapa Academy Elite</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Serenity drives hard to the rim. Against CT Royalty HGSL, she got in the paint, made quick reactions to the defense and finished. She also showed a confident stroke at the 3-point line in catch and shoot opportunities. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='962705' first='Jordan' last='Arnold'] - Dapa Academy Elite</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jordan is a physical player on dribble drive. Against CT Royalty HGSL, she caught on the perimeter, used a jab step, drove to the lane, got to two feet and drew contact. When she got fouled, she showed a good stroke from the FT line. She was the 2nd leading scorer and 3-point shooter for Cherokee HS as a junior.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1830037' first='Soleil' last='Dalencourt'] - [program_tooltip program_id='774068' first='NJ' last='Panthers']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Soleil showed a nice mid-range pull up against District One HGSL. She had good hands on defense. She got deflections and got to the floor after them. She is a good passer out of the post and rebounded hard at both ends. She appeared in two varsity games for the North 1 Group 4 Sectional champion West Orange HS this year. With 7 seniors graduating, there will be opportunities for a bigger contribution as a sophomore. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='789169' first='Morgan' last='Fulston'] - [program_tooltip program_id='714664' first='Team' last='Sharp']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Against Books and Basketball S40, Morgan used her great length to her advantage. She is an excellent finisher in pick roll. She dove hard to the rim and showed good hands. She disrupts shots on the defensive end. On the perimeter defensively she did an excellent job heding the opponent's picks and roll. She led North Non-Public A sectional champ Morris Catholic in rebounds and blocked shots as a junior. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='651518' first='Lauryn' last='Downing'] - [program_tooltip program_id='714664' first='Team' last='Sharp']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lauryn plays the PG position with extreme confidence. She is strong with the ball even in the face of pressure. She runs the show for [program_tooltip program_id='714664' first='Team' last='Sharp']. She gets into the lane and is patient in her attack. She has great strength and does not get moved off her line when driving. She continually beat Books and Basketball S40 guards to the spot on defense forcing them to repeatedly change direction. She bodies guards that try and drive past her and keeps them out of the lane. She will go over 1,000 points in her senior season at St. Thomas Aquinas HS and led the team in 3-pointers and assists as a junior.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1831839' first='Kennedy' last='Broughton'] - Books and Basketball</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kennedy showed a solid 3-point stroke against [program_tooltip program_id='714664' first='Team' last='Sharp']. She plays with patience. She is shifty with the ball, exhibited a good crossover and got into the lane and drew contact to get to the line. She was a key role player for Paul VI as a sophomore and will have the chance to be an impact player as a junior.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1358364' first='Sophia' last='Attia'] - [program_tooltip program_id='774068' first='NJ' last='Panthers']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sophia used a big strong frame to her advantage against Lightning Melious UA Rise. She found position deep in the post and showed solid footwork while finishing well in the paint. She led Ridge HS in blocks as a junior, was 2nd in rebounds and 3-point shooting and 3rd in scoring. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->