Paul VI is staking a claim for South & New Jersey supremacy
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It didn’t take long for us to get the matchup of the season in South Jersey: Paul VI v Cherokee on Feb. 4. Cherokee was the reigning favorite in the region, having gone 30-1 in the 2019-20 season on its…
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Continue ReadingIt didn’t take long for us to get the matchup of the season in South Jersey: Paul VI v Cherokee on Feb. 4.
Cherokee was the reigning favorite in the region, having gone 30-1 in the 2019-20 season on its way competing for the NJSIAA Group IV state title before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
The Eagles however were very much a new player in the Olympic Conference and in South Jersey, having gone 24-3 in 2019-20, the program’s best record since going 23-6 in the 2016-17 season.
Led by a freshman superstar in Hannah Hidalgo Hannah Hidalgo 5'7" | PG Paul VI | 2023 State NJ , Paul VI had its centerpiece to build a team around for the next four years, and in the 2021 season, the building blocks came together quickly.
Thanks to a stifling press defense, the Eagles forced Cherokee to turn the ball over a lot in the backcourt, in turn, creating some fantastic opportunities for quick points.
Hidalgo ended up scoring 15 points as Paul VI shut down the Chiefs’ star forward Alexa Therien Alexa Therien 6'1" | SF Cherokee | 2021 State NJ and won, 38-33, fending off a last-second comeback with a crucial steal in the final 30 seconds of the fourth quarter.
The Eagles are now 4-0 this season after beating Winslow and Bishop Eustace handedly, but its next four games might be the toughest four-game stretch of any team in the state this season.
A scheduled class on Thursday between the Eagles and St. John Vianney was postponed to Monday afternoon and is going to be a game with a lot of fireworks in it, especially the individual battle between Hidalgo and the SJV’s Madison St. Rose Madison St. Rose 5'10" | PG St. John Vianney | 2022 State #65 Nation NJ .
The next day, Tuesday, Paul VI heads up north to face Stuart Day and then just four days later, on Feb. 20, the Eagles travel to face Trenton Catholic.
It’s insane to think that a team would take on teams of this caliber over the course of one season, but all three in a week’s time? That sounds like literal insanity, but Paul VI is one of the best teams in the state and they’ve shown it so far in a big way in 2021.
We didn’t end up getting that big game between the Eagles and the Lady Lancers this week, but come Monday, the most grueling stretch of any program this season will begin.
Watch for an ensemble trio of juniors to have big contributions alongside Hidalgo: Nile Miller, Veyoni Davis Veyoni Davis 5'8" | CG Moorestown | 2024 PA and Sara McShea. Miller and McShea make their presences felt on the boards as well as in the scoring column, and Davis is an excellent defender.
Paul VI has already made its claim as the premier program in South Jersey. Now, let’s see if the Eagles can prove to be the best in the state.