An impressive list of high school girls basketball all-stars

The Al Carino Girls Basketball Club of South Jersey does a lot to promote the sport and it recently released its girls All-South Jersey team.

The organization alerts that the selections for the All-South Jersey list are based entirely on the coach's nomination and votes.

This makes the honor even more special because the players are selected by their coaching peers.

This year’s selections on the first and second teams show how much young talent there is in South Jersey.

Six of the eight first-team selections were juniors and three of the seven second-team selections were non-seniors. Here are the teams:

First-Team

Hannah Hidalgo, junior, Paul VI – Considered among the top junior players in the country, she averaged 26.3 points for an Eagles team that went 24-4 and was the consensus No. 1 team in South Jersey.

Katie Fricker, senior, Cherokee – The leading scorer for the SJ Group 4 champions, Fricker averaged 13.5 points on a Cherokee team that was among the best defensive units in South Jersey.

Alexis Davis, junior, Woodbury – A guard-forward, Davis averaged 27.3 points and 14.6 rebounds while leading the Thundering Herd to the Colonial Conference Patriot Division title and the SJ Group 1 championship game before falling to Wildwood.

Avery Kessler, junior, Shawnee – Kessler was the leading scorer for Shawnee, averaging 13.6 points and helped the Renegades reach the SJ Group 4 final before falling to Cherokee.

Amaya Burch, senior, Timber Creek – Burch averaged a team-high 22.6 points while leading the Chargers to the South Jersey Group 3 championship game before falling to Mainland.

Gabby Recinto, junior, Cherokee – The second-leading scorer for Cherokee, Recinto helped Cherokee reach the Group 4 state title game. She averaged 12.2 points per game.

Kassidy Thompson, junior, Camden Catholic – A guard, Thompson averaged 17.8 points in leading the Irish to a 22-6 record. She has made a verbal commitment to Quinnipiac.

Nia Scott, junior, Shawnee – An inside force, she averaged 12.4 points and 9.8 rebounds for a Shawnee team that shared the Olympic Conference American Division with Cherokee.

Second-Team:

Nile Miller, senior, Woodbury – A guard-forward, Miller averaged 14.9 points and 9.35 rebounds as Woodbury advanced to the SJ Group 1 final before falling to Wildwood.

Camryn Dirkes, senior, Mainland – Dirkes was among two senior starters for a Mainland team that started three sophomores. She helped lead the Mustangs to the overall Cape Atlantic League and South Jersey Group 3 titles.

Sara McShea, senior, Paul VI – McShea averaged 14.3 points and 8.4 rebounds for a Paul VI team that advanced to the SJ Non-Public A final before losing to St. John Vianney, the No. 1 team in the state. McShea will continue her basketball career and education at West Point.

Ana Pellecchia, sophomore, Clearview – The only sophomore on the first or second-team, Pellecchia averaged 17.0 points and 5.0 rebounds for the 18-8 Pioneers.

Aaryn Battle, junior, Camden Catholic – Teams with Kassidy Thompson to form a dynamic backcourt, Battle averaged 13.9 points.

Mia Robbins, senior, Eastern – A forward-center, Robbins averaged 12.2 points and 5.3 rebounds for an Eastern team that advanced to the SJ Group 4 semifinals before falling to Shawnee.

Maddy Clark, junior, Haddon Heights – Clark helped lead Haddon Heights to the Colonial Conference Liberty and South Jersey Group 2 titles. She averaged 15.1 points for one of the top defensive teams in South Jersey. She has made a verbal commitment to Lehigh where she’ll play softball.

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Author: Marc Narducci