City Rankings: Top Atlantic City-Area Guards

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We continue the city rankings in New Jersey in South Jersey down the shore to Atlantic City, the hub of a number of great players in the area. While there might be less schools in the general region, the basketball here is still fantastic and the prospects definitely excite. Here are some of the top guards in the Atlantic City area.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='414395' first='Reese' last='Downey'] - 5-7 PG, Absegami (2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Downey is one of the best freshman prospects in the state and an underrated prospect at that playing for a program like Absegami. Her ball-handling skills are absolutely incredible and her dribble penetration into the lane and finishing is exceptional. Downey has a great feel for the game and can very easily take over a game at the drop of a hat. A leader at the top of the key, but a producer as well with her scoring, she is one of the most exciting prospects we're looking forward to watching this fall/winter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ava Mazur - 5-7 SG, Mainland (2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Mazur sisters are going to make a prominent appearance on here after what they've been able to do at Mainland thus far, but let's start with Ava, a shooting guard with an impeccable touch from three and incredible floor vision. Many shooting guards just have one or two spots they are best from, but Mazur can shoot from anywhere and spreads the floor for her and her teammates to succeed. Effortless, just effortless basketball she plays and immense talent she has.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='406943' first='Bella' last='Mazur'] - 5-8 SG, Mainland (2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>From Ava, we go to Bella, much more of a shot creator inside the lane, but a fantastic shooting prospect nonetheless. Mazur gives plenty of looks toward the paint and likes to distribute and facilitate. Both have impressed as passers just as much as they excel in the scoring department. Bella has shown quite a great ability to cut inside the arc and create inside the arc. Her mid-range game is exception with the ability to expand to three-point range when she finds the opportunity to.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='404202' first='Jada' last='Elston'] - 5-8 SG/PG, Middle Township (2023)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Elston, simply put, is one of the best players at drawing contact and getting to the foul line in the state. Honestly, she might be the best in New Jersey at that department considering that she made nearly six free throws a game and definitely took more. Not just that, but Elston was cooking offensively in the middle, making a number of acrobatic and tough shots. To top things off, she's come a long way as a perimeter shooter and made her presence felt as a junior, with 51 made threes on the season. We're truly just seeing the beginning of what Elston can bring to the basketball court.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='481549' first='Avery' last='Jackson'] - 5-9 SG/PG, Ocean City (2023)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The blueprint for success was laid out right in front of Jackson after what she was able to accomplish in a shortened sophomore year. Everything clicked as a junior as Jackson found her footing from three, made use of the mid-range game, crashed the lane on drives and got herself involved much more than in years past. Jackson took over games and put herself on notice. Confidence breeds success and she definitely displayed that as a volume shooter, an efficient one at that.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='481551' first='Samantha' last='Jones'] - Vineland (2023)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jones has shown progression in each of her three years at Vineland and was able to replicate that over a full season as a junior after proving to be an elite-level scorer as a sophomore. As she's matured, she's worked on perfecting certain parts of her game, like free throw shooting, perimeter defense, both 1-on-1 and in team scenarios, and rebounding. Jones can make things happen in the paint and has a level of aggression and determination to score. Additionally, her three-point shooting has come a long way.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->