Last year presented one of the most exciting seasons of local high school girls basketball in recent memory, and South Jersey Catholic Schools were at the top of the list.
Following Paul VI phenom Hannah Hidalgo will be a tough act to follow, as the recently graduated superstar and 2,000-point scorer is now at the University of Notre Dame. But there’s plenty to remain excited about as the returning field of South Jersey Catholic schools look to be in the mix to make some noise this winter.
The Catholic Star Herald takes a look at its area schools and presents a quick guide of what to look for this upcoming season.
Bishop Eustace Preparatory School, Pennsauken: The Crusaders endured a rare rebuilding year with a 12-17 season, which was the first non-winning season at Eustace since 2015-16. Last year’s squad had just one senior (Lauren La Ratta) along with 10 freshmen and sophomores. With a year under their belts, a still young Crusaders team look to get back on track this winter behind returning leading scorer Giavanna Rogers (310 points), Isabella Serano (244) and Alaina Staab (153).
Camden Catholic High School, Cherry Hill: Nearly 3,000 career points walked out the door with diplomas in the spring in Aaryn Battle and Kassidy Thompson alone. Following an impressive 21-11 season, the Irish will embark on a new era of basketball and will look to a new crop of scorers to lay the foundation as the Irish find their way in the tough Olympic Conference.
Gloucester Catholic High School, Gloucester City: Lisa Gedaka is already the winningest coach in South Jersey high school girls basketball history, and she will look to add to her totals this year with a talented group of returning players. Jahzara Green burst onto the scene with 342 points in her freshman year to lead the Rams in scoring during a 15-12 season. The Rams also return junior distance shooter Katherine Lange, who knocked down a team-best 48 3-pointers last year, and senior Julianna DiFebbo, who chipped in 197 points.
Holy Spirit High School, Absecon: The Spartans were at their best when their defense was clamping down as Holy Spirit went 18-9 last year under coach Tim Whitworth’s strong defense system, holding the opposition to less than 40 points 11 times. The Spartans did a good job of spreading the scoring out as Sabrina Little led the offense last year with 324 points and will begin her junior year with 529. Lauren Cella will look to build on an impressive freshman year, scoring 142 points. The Spartans were able to work a lot of bodies into the lineup last season, which should help them out this year. Holy Spirit’s 18 wins last year was its most since the 2016-17 season.
Our Lady of Mercy Academy, Newfield: The Villagers (16-11 last year) found success in sharing the ball with balanced scoring. With 774 career points, senior Madelynn Bernhardt has a good chance of hitting 1,000 points, as she has averaged about a dozen per game over her career. Savannah Prescott, a University of Bridgeport commit, averaged 10 points a game last season and will likely see an increased role. The Villagers’ main concern will be replacing 6-foot-1 Angelina Dragone (Catholic University), who scored 257 points and grabbed 305 rebounds last year. Reliable four-year starter Drew Coyle (597 career points, 427 rebounds) has also graduated.
Paul VI High School, Haddonfield: If you didn’t get to see Hannah Hidalgo last year, you missed out. The University of Notre Dame freshman is already creating highlight reels in South Bend, Ind., after finishing a tremendous high school career at Paul VI. But the show must go on in Haddonfield, and the Eagles have plenty of big time performers to try to get over the hump in the form of a South Jersey Non-Public A championship, which the Eagles came within inches of attaining last year in a heartbreaking loss to St. John Vianney. The Eagles return most of Hidalgo’s supporting cast of a 21-3 team, including a trio of college-committed seniors in Eva Andrews (North Carolina A&T State), Brooke Barnes (Delaware State) and Shariah Baynes (Monmouth University).
Wildwood Catholic Academy, North Wildwood: It was another huge year for the school last season, as the Crusaders played a challenging schedule and prevailed with a 24-6 record, which included a trip to the South Jersey Non-Public B championship. The Crusaders return all but one player from that squad, but filling the shoes of terrific post player Carly Murphy (329) will be difficult. On the bright side, Wildwood Catholic returns with senior Kaci Mikulski, a Jefferson University commit, leading the way after a 440-point season. Mikulski enters the season just 140 points shy of 1,000, and she already has 136 3-pointers under her belt, proving to be one of the toughest players to guard. A strong senior class that includes El McCabe, Ava Vogdes and Destiny Wallace provide a good core to make another title run this winter.
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