Future 100 Block Members in New Jersey

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The AAU season is well underway this spring, but it is never too early to talk about high school basketball, which we'll do in this article. Our writers have been able to get to different tournaments across the board, providing you coverage, but this article will be about the frontcourt members, people who we think could reach 100 blocks this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='414341' first='Haszah' last='Ward'] - Plainfield (2025)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ward's sophomore season at Plainfield was a good one and showed plenty of growth as she continues to excel as a versatile guard/forward type. She had 37 blocks in 18 games, just over two blocks a game, and has 45 through her first 35 high school games. Let's not overlook near double-double averages either, but with more games and a bigger role as a junior, she could very well hit 100 by season's end.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='431238' first='Katie' last='Collins'] - Manasquan (2024)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The recent Penn commit is sure to solidify the Quakers' frontcourt situation come college, but before then, she's ready to help Manasquan win a state title. Her defense has always been a strongsuit for her, reaching a career-high 31 blocks as a junior. She sits 36 away from 100 and should have plenty of opportunities to reach that mark if she's able to average over a block a game as a senior.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='406946' first='Siobhan' last='Stapleton'] - Trinity Hall (2024)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Slow and steady wins the race, but for Stapleton, it's been a slow progression of success to a point as a junior where she set career-highs in a number of defensive categories, including total blocks. Her reaching that milestone seems well within grasp, and looking at her overall player profile, as someone who's continually been aggressive down on the block, she's going to be in the center of the action often.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='588710' first='Madison' last='Palek'] - Middle Township (2024)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Transferring to Middle Township turned into the perfect move for Palek, who will be one of the main pieces if not the main one with [player_tooltip player_id='404202' first='Jada' last='Elston'], among others, graduating this year. Palek had two double-doubles during the season and really dominated amongst the rest, recording a career-high 1.7 blocks a game. She is less than 30 away from reaching 100, and after a SJ title run last season for Middle Township, that'll give her extra games to reach it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='397076' first='Iriona' last='Gravley'] - Williamstown (2024)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Junior year was a massive one for Gravley, who was easily one of the best shot-blockers in South Jersey, recording a career-high 60 in 29 games along with numerous other career-highs set. She's an incredible talent all-around, but her frontcourt presence has been often defined by her defense, which is second-to-none. She's less than 10 away from reaching 100, and has several other milestones in her sight this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='879026' first='McKenzie' last='Neal'] - Bayonne (2025)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A force to be reckoned with down low, Neal, a transfer from Florida, had a spectacular season for the eventual state champion Bees, recording 42 blocks in 27 games. It was a quiet, but impressive season overall, which begs the question of where this 6-3 center can go from here. Just with her New Jersey stats, she could hit 100, but adding in her totals from Florida, that is definitely in the cards for her junior year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='333347' first='Kadie' last='Fleming'] - South Hunterdon (2025)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fleming could theoretically reach 100 blocks in her her high school opener as a junior for South Hunterdon, needing just three to reach the mark. However, why we chose to highlight someone so close to the milestone is to highlight how effective she's been as a forward in two seasons, averaging in double-figures and totaling 97 blocks in 51 games, nearly two blocks a game with room to grow.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->