Top Returning Steals Leaders
Some of the top defensive forces will be returning to the court in girls basketball once the 2021 basketball season tips off in January in the Garden State. For some players, getting steals and making life tough on the defensive…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingSome of the top defensive forces will be returning to the court in girls basketball once the 2021 basketball season tips off in January in the Garden State. For some players, getting steals and making life tough on the defensive end brings greater joy than scoring a ton of points. Let’s take a look at some of the top returning steals players.
Emily Alers-Gonzalez, Newark East Side, Sr. – Alers-Gonzalez was second in the state with 154 steals in 23 games of action. She had 6.7 steals per game and had some incredible defensive showings with five double-digit steal games. The Newark East Side senior finished with 16 steals against Benedectine, 13 against Technology, 11 against West Side and 10 apiece in games against Science Park and St. Vincent.
Saniah Caldwell Saniah Caldwell 5'8" | PG Saddle River Day | 2022 State #52 Nation NJ , Saddle River Day, Jr. – Caldwell finished tied for third in the state last season with 6.1 steals per game. She finished with 159 in total in 26 games. As good as she was in essentially every category for Saddle River Day last season her defense really shines. Caldwell finished with 10 steals apiece in games against East Orange and Emerson Boro. She recorded two or more steals in every game but one last season, often getting 6-8 in a game.
Jashanti Horace, Penns Grove, Sr. – Horace had 111 steals in 20 games last season, good for a 5.6 steals per game average. Despite missing seven games as a junior, she made an impact on the defensive end in every game, and finished among the top players in steals a season ago. Horace made 12 steals against Overbrook and 10 in a meeting with Paulsboro in the third-to-last game of the year. She recorded at least two steals in every game she played in last season.
Tia Furbush, Schalick, Sr. – Furbush averaged 5.6 steals after finishing with 128 on the season in 23 games. She had an eye-opening 15 steals in Schalick’s victory over Cumberland in late February. She also had four nine-steal games in her junior season.
Nay Nay Clark, Oakcrest, Sr. – Clark was incredible in many areas last season for Oakcrest. She averaged 24.5 points per game and had 5.5 steals per game. Clark recorded 142 steals in 26 games. The senior was a force on the defensive end with two double-digit steal games. She had 14 steals in a one-point road win at Buena and 12 steals against Camden. She was a disrupter in many games on the defensive end and should continue that success this season.
Hannah Hidalgo Hannah Hidalgo 5'7" | PG Paul VI | 2023 State NJ , Paul VI, So. – Hidalgo came on as a freshman at Paul VI and made an immediate impact on both ends. She was able to make some key plays on defense, reading where her defender wanted to go with the ball and making some great strips on the way to plays in transition. She averaged 5.5 steals per game and her top performances came against Camden Catholic (12 steals) and Timber Creek (10 steals).
Destiny Battle, East Orange, Sr. – Battle had a productive junior season at East Orange with 12.3 points per game and 5.2 steals per game. Battle finished with four double-digit steal performances – 10 apiece against West Orange (twice), Verona and Columbia.