Super Essex Conference 2021 Season Recap Pt. 2
Prep Girls Hoops New Jersey continues its 2021 season recap series in the Super Essex Conference. From the American division, PGH NJ moves over to the Colonial division, one home to one of the best teams in the conference this…
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Continue ReadingPrep Girls Hoops New Jersey continues its 2021 season recap series in the Super Essex Conference. From the American division, PGH NJ moves over to the Colonial division, one home to one of the best teams in the conference this season in Cedar Grove.
However, not every team in the conference was able to fill out its entire schedule and saw several teams manage to play single-digit games in 2021. Regardless of the amount of games played, the competition was as good as ever, so here is our in-depth look at the division in full.
Ryan Cannataro – G/F, Cedar Grove
Cannataro was the driving force behind Cedar Grove, who ended up running the table in the SEC, going a perfect 14-0 during the 2021 season. She averaged 13.6 PPG, 8.2 RPG and 2.8 APG in her senior season with the Panthers, putting together her best season to date. She surely did save the best for last, showing an incredible level of growth over her high school career. She demonstrated a high level of maturity and comfort running the point this season. Cannataro refined her game and was both a dominant scorer and rebounder, but she added passing to her game, which added just that much more to her dominance on the court.
Melanie Naeris – G, Verona
Verona was one of the teams in the division that didn’t get a full season in 2021, but they made the most of it, especially the senior guard Naeris. She was great for Verona, averaging 12.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG and 2.8 SPG in seven games this season. Naeris had sophomore guard Emily Baumgard by her side, a fantastic guard duo. Baumgard was the team’s best perimeter shooter, which made it easy for Naeris to facilitate the ball to her, but Naeris herself was a dominant scorer in the interior and got to the line often in her shortened season. Along with that, she continued to show off her impressive defense and left an indelible mark on the Verona program.
Rachel Lutsky – G, Millburn
Lutsky had a career year in 2021, continuing to develop her game in a big way from the success she sustained during her sophomore season. She averaged 16.0 PPG, 4.8 SPG and 2.2 made threes a game. She nearly doubled her average made three-pointers game from the 2019-20 season to the 2021 season and posted double-figure scoring averages for the first time in her career. It was an impressive overall performance from the junior, as she looks more confident than ever shooting from the perimeter. We’re seeing an upward curve in player development and that’s going to continue in a big way in her senior season.
Faith Fedd-Robinson – F/G, Newark Central
The lone freshman listed in this article, Fedd-Robinson was extremely impressive to watch in her first high school season, posting double-double averages. She averaged 13.2 PPG, 12.2 RPG, 4.0 BPG and 3.4 SPG during the 2021 season, already showing a great feel for the game which she’s been able to successfully translate onto the court. Fedd-Robinson has shown that she’s one of the best shot-blockers in the conference and the state and with that, she’s honing into her strengths on the floor. Watch out for much more from her over the next few seasons.
Amayah Melbourne – F/G, Glen Ridge
There were two strong junior selections to pick from Glen Ridge this season, but Melbourne, of the two, showed a great deal of improvement as a junior, nearly posting a double-double average this season. That didn’t come out of nowhere as you saw she really worked on her game and her stats reflected that as she averaged 8.7 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 1.2 SPG and 0.5 BPG. She improved her defense tremendously during the 2021 season, showing that she is a shot-blocker along with someone who can create turnovers from steals. Also, her rebounding is a fantastic sign because that’s going to put her not only in great positions to grab boards, but to get put-backs and score more on the floor.
Continue to keep an eye out for more content from Prep Girls Hoops as we continue to recap the 2021 New Jersey high school girls basketball season.