Morris County Tournament First Round Breakout Freshmen
In this article:
Last Saturday, the first round of the Morris County Tournament was held and four of the eight games were decided by five points or less. It was a competitive day of basketball throughout as the eight quarterfinalists were decided. Here…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingLast Saturday, the first round of the Morris County Tournament was held and four of the eight games were decided by five points or less. It was a competitive day of basketball throughout as the eight quarterfinalists were decided. Here are some breakout freshmen from the first round.
Charlotte Tuhy – F, Madison
Tuhy immediately has become a fantastic two-way player with a great shot and a strong defensive presence. We’ve seen her knock down a number of shots from the perimeter on a consistent basis where teams will spread their defense in case she gets open. As a result, it opens up floor for teammates, which has been a major plus for Madison. Along with that, she’s very active on the glass and on the block with great ability to swat away shots and passes. She’s finding her stride quickly and is putting together a fantastic freshman year.
Mya Sampong – 5-11 PF, Morris Catholic
Sampong has been a great defensive asset especially on the glass as one of Morris Catholic’s best rebounders. Her scoring will come in time, but her size and length in the interior is what makes her such a valuable part of this team. The Crusaders are a young team and these freshmen are going to quickly develop into stars. Sampong needs to find more confidence in herself as a scorer like she’s been as a rebounder. Once she finds that confidence, the rest of the county is going to be put on watch.
Ella Kreuzer Ella Kreuzer 5'10" | SG Chatham | 2025 State NJ – 5-9 PG/SG, Chatham
Kreuzer is already one of Chatham’s top players in her freshman year, thanks to a stellar combination of speed, smarts and shooting. She is one of the best players on the break and likes to play up-tempo to keep opponents off-guard. It also allows her to exploit mismatches and dish the ball off to teammates for easy scoring opportunities. She’s established herself as a solid perimeter defender, someone Chatham can consistently rely on for a few steals a game along with shot deflections and forcing poor shot selections. That offensive and defensive package is a recipe for success.
Charlee Perna – G/F, Morris Knolls
Perna and Morris Knolls were neutralized in their first round matchup against Jefferson, but this freshman has already shown double-double potential along with great passing and defending. The most notable part about her game so far is just how good of a defender she is. She’s very active around the perimeter and has found her niche closing down defenders as the attempt to drive into the lane. Her close-out defense is what gets her steals and gets Morris Knolls on the break. Perna can make moves on offense to get some crafty baskets and is very much a reliable scorer for this team.
Kayla Brand – 5-5 PG, Randolph
Brand has come alive in the last few games for Randolph, recording her first double-digit scoring performance in her high school career. In those games, we’ve seen her venture out to the perimeter to shoot, which is a positive sign. She plays best inside the perimeter though and is excellent at drawing contact to get to the foul line. It’s an impressive watch to see her dominate defenses like that to get them into foul trouble. That not only gets her scoring opportunities, but helps Randolph put the pressure on their opponents often.
Abby Hawes – SG/SF, Mountain Lakes
Hawes had a great game in a loss in the first round for Mountain Lakes, but it was a positive step forward for a player who has gained a great deal of confidence this season. She’s a player who can easily average 12-13 points a game when she finds her scoring lanes on the floor. Hawes needs to consistently find those lanes, which we are watching her figure out as she matures as a starter. That includes her ability to get into the lane and she’s getting there more often and getting a lot of contact to get to the foul line. Once a good shooter is always a good foul shooter.