South Jersey State Championship Contenders

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're just about at the halfway point of the 2023-24 New Jersey high school girls basketball season and things have been wild to say the least. Plenty of surprises along the way, as well as many expected outcomes, but while there are some state title frontrunners, the race to hardware is as wide open as can be. Here's a look at some state title contenders out of South Jersey. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>NOTE: This will not include teams from the Jersey Shore as there's enough there to create its own article upcoming.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Bordentown: 14-1 Record</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We definitely didn't see this one coming as Bordentown was 12-14 last season, having already surpassed its win total from last season in 10+ less games. [player_tooltip player_id='583460' first='Madeline' last='Wylie'] is the story of this team, a junior currently averaging 12.7 PPG this season. This is her breakout year and she's taking full advantage of it. Senior Lauren Scharko provides quality scoring as a third option, and the second option for the Scotties is sophomore Brookelyn Prester, who's gone from bench to starting five, one of their better perimeter shooters overall. An exciting team outscoring opponents by roughly 20 points a game this season speaks for itself.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Haddonfield: 13-2 Record</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We all knew this was coming. The perennial class of the Colonial Conference, Haddonfield is back at it again with a point to prove. The introduction of freshman [player_tooltip player_id='865698' first='Acadia' last='Walters'] to the mix has brought with it plenty of scoring and shooting, one of three players that can shoot for the Bulldogs. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='406942' first='Caroline' last='Douglas'] and Katie Mulligan factor into that as well, but the scoring stretches outside of them, with sophomore Marlina Kadar and senior Reece Volovich each averaging around 6.0 PPG. Their two losses are to Clearview and Our Lady of Mercy, two quality losses moving forward.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Paul VI: 10-4 Record</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>You can take Hannah Hidalgo out of the equation, but you can't take the fire out from the Eagles, a team still stacked with talent coming into this season. Their losses have been quality: Montclair Immaculate, Lenape, Ewing and McDonough (MD), and there's a main rotation of seven players who can all start and contribute immensely. [player_tooltip player_id='325212' first='Eva' last='Andrews'] and [player_tooltip player_id='488637' first='Shariah' last='Baynes'], the two senior leaders and future Division I players, lead the way, but behind them include sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='601275' first='Rachel' last='Thatcher'] and the leading scorer on this team, junior [player_tooltip player_id='414234' first='Azanah' last='Campbell']. Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='789189' first='Brooke' last='Stagliano'] is having a fantastic first season as well, a great shooter too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Moorestown: 13-3 Record</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've gotten a chance to talk about a number of Moorestown players, but this team is truly for real this season. Four players are averaging 6.5 PPG are better, led by sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='601276' first='Analyse' last='Intenzo'], averaging 14.6 PPG while knocking down two three-pointers a game. Senior forward Grace Hanucin has stepped up down low, averaging over 1.5 blocks a game as this team has prided itself on defense, with nearly 14 steals and 4.5 blocks per game averaged. The Quakers get after it and knock down shots from the perimeter, adding to an explosive offensive display that's carried them to success.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Clearview: 11-1 Record</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A team worthy of being a state title contender will often have a superstar hidden in its roster. For Clearview, hidden isn't necessarily the right way to put it, but senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='325194' first='Ana' last='Pellecchia'] is a superstar for sure. Averaging 23.7 PPG this season with nearly three made three-pointers a game, this is her team and she's not letting anyone get in her way of chasing hardware. Alongside her is sophomore guard Juliette Mirigliani, someone who's taken a massive step forward in her game as she's averaging 13.4 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 2.2 APG and 2.5 SPG this season. Those two will be the keys to success for the Pioneers, no doubt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Woodstown: 11-2 Record</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The stars have very much come out to play for Woodstown in the form of juniors [player_tooltip player_id='414352' first='Talia' last='Battavio'] and [player_tooltip player_id='525557' first='Megan' last='Donelson'], a duo that's combined to average 37 PPG in 13 games this season. Not just that, but they're just as great of facilitators of the ball as they are scorers, a common theme with this team that has 205 assists already. Battavio and Donelson are also the best perimeter shooters, having hit 54 threes between the two of them, but just as important for the Wolverines is defense. Senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='488654' first='Shannon' last='Pierman'] is supplying the defense, with near double-double numbers and a steal per game average.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->