Prep Girls Hoops New Jersey’s Player of the Year & Finalists

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Girls Hoops New Jersey is wrapping up the 2022-23 New Jersey high school girls basketball season in a big way with our end of year awards. The biggest of the bunch is our PGH NJ Player of the Year. What a cast of players to choose from in the Garden State across the board. It was beyond difficult to narrow the list to one, but below is our Player of the Year and finalists for the award.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='134644' first='Zoe' last='Brooks'] - St. John Vianney</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This decision was beyond difficult and for us, it really came down to Brooks and Paul VI senior [player_tooltip player_id='134645' first='Hannah' last='Hidalgo'], the consensus two best players in New Jersey. However, our decision was Brooks for the main reason of what she was able to do in the postseason while nursing an injury. Not only did she average a career-high 22.5 PPG and 5.5 SPG along with 6.6 RPG, but she arguably out-dueled Hidalgo in the South Jersey Non-Public A final, hitting a game-winner in the process. Thirteen 20-point games on the season against some of the best competition in the state and the country. The race was close, but Brooks came out on top.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>PGH NJ POY Finalists</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='134645' first='Hannah' last='Hidalgo'] - Paul VI (2023)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hidalgo was as close as one can get toward earning Player of the Year honors in New Jersey after an incredible senior season, averaging 28.8 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 5.1 APG and 7.3 SPG for Paul VI. That includes seven 30+ point games and three 40+ point games, one of which being a 41-point masterclass against Morris Catholic, arguably her most impressive performance of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='325195' first='Rhian' last='Stokes'] - Ewing (2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We truly didn't know Stokes's peak with Ewing, but wow what a junior season she just had. Stokes averaged 18.5 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 6.4 APG, 6.5 SPG, over a block a game and nearly two made three-pointers a game. After recording over 200 steals as a sophomore, she repeated the feat as a junior, crossed the 1000 point and 100 career three-pointer threshold and just was spectacular.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='325192' first='Devyn' last='Quigley'] - Manchester Township (2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If there was anyone to award the best offensive player of the season to, it was Quigley and it wasn't even close. The junior guard at Manchester Township at one point averaged over 36 PPG this season and finished the season with 977 points in 28 games, a 34.9 PG average. That includes a stretch of five-straight 40+ point games, 12 40-point games on the season and 22 30+ point games overall. Let's not forget to mention that Quigley shot nearly 87 percent from the line on around 300 attempts and also averaged a double-double.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='333302' first='Mia' last='Pauldo'] - Morris Catholic (2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Morris Catholic went the route of scheduling incredibly tough out-of-state opponents this season, frequently going to tournaments and invitationals around the country it seemed like. Despite the tougher competition, Pauldo was still incredibly successful averaging 17.6 PPG along with 5.2 APG and 3.3 SPG this season. She also knocked down a career-high 64 threes in 28 games, smashing the 100 three-pointer and 1000 point clubs in the same year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='325201' first='Mikayla' last='Blakes'] - Rutgers Prep (2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A select few players in the state averaged over 20 PPG on the season, and coming off a year where she averaged 18.3 PPG as a sophomore, she increased her offensive production by 3.7 PPG, averaging 22 PPG for Rutgers Prep. She hit 75 three-pointers on the year, 2.5 per game, recorded 4.8 RPG and 3.3 APG, and averaged 3.2 SPG. Across the board, she was one of the most consistent guards and most productive players in the state, and she's coming back for more as a senior.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->