Girls Basketball 2023-2024 Season Preview: Class A South

Class A South

In projected order of finish

Jackson Memorial

Head Coach: Rachel Goodale, 24th Season

Assistant Coaches: Steph Mason, Dana Young, Khani Glover, Justin Makenzie Simon, Gabby Harris

Record Last Year: (21-10, 8-2 A South)

Returning Players: Kaylee Ambos (SO, Guard); Gianna Berkley (JR, Forward ); Avery Brooks (SO, Guard); Lillian Cole (JR, Guard); Isabella Finer (SO, Guard); Julianna Old (SO, Forward); Colleen Smink (SR, Forward); Giulia Gardella (SO), Avery Brooks (SO. Guard)

Newcomers: Cali Brown (FR, Guard), Chelsea Lavezzo (SR, Guard, Transfer from Jackson Liberty)

Team Outlook: Jackson Memorial has a very young team, but the sophomore class all saw valuable minutes as freshmen on their way to the Central Jersey Group 4 title. The Jaguars graduated 75 percent of their scoring from last year with the graduation of Zoie Maffei, Chloe Messer and Kamile Makselyte. They will rely on the experience of seniors Colleen Smink and Chelsea Lavezzo, who transferred from Jackson Liberty, to lead the underclassmen this season. Lavezzo, who is returning from an ACL injury, will help fill the scoring void while the underclassmen get more comfortable in their roles. Freshman Cali Brown will be the starting point guard.

Toms River North

Head Coach: Vicki Gillen, 23rd Season

Assistant Coaches: Mary Ellen Tutzauer, Ryan Dering, Chrissy Ribaudo

Record Last Year: 21-5 (10-0 A South)

Returning Players: Kiera Blum (JR, Guard); Mary Bozicev (JR, Forward); Jordyn Brown (JR, Guard); Angelina DeCesare (JR, Guard/Forward); Cara Sarluca (SO, Guard); Megan Sias (SR, Center), 

Newcomers: Ashlee Watkins, Maya Abdelaal, Rylie Mahon

Team Outlook: TRN graduated key pieces last year, but brought back All-Shore player Megan Sias. Sias has the height to control the paint and the range to step out to hit a three-pointer. Jordyn Brown is the only other player to see significant minutes last season and TRN will rely on her to lead the team on the floor. 
Toms River East

Head Coach: Kevin Cohen, 20th Season

Assistant Coaches: Drew Anders, Kristen Kennedy, Kamryn Lister, Ryan Cohen

Record Last Year (16-10, 6-4 A South)

Returning Players Shannon Briles (SR, Forward); Grace Crowley (JR, Guard); Adrianna Cruz (JR, Guard); Kaleigh Fitzgibbons (SR, Forward); Nikolette Lebright (SR, Forward); Kylie Murphy (SR, Guard); Sydney Murphy (SR, Guard); Yana Shupak (SR, Guard)

Newcomers: Marykate Markovitch (JR, Forward), Libby Dickman (FR, Forward), Kacey Briles (FR, Guard)

Team Outlook: TRE returns more experience than the majority of Class A South this season. Yana Shupak and Sydney Murphy led the Raiders in scoring last season and were All-Division players.

Brick Memorial

Head Coach Thomas Lecorchick, 11th Season

Assistant Coaches: Christina Rodriguez and Robert Brown

Record Last Year: (11-15, 4-6 A South)

Returning Players: Lexi Caruso (SR, Guard); Kayla Herzer (SR, Guard); Maggie Leach (JR, Guard); Gianna Livio (SR, Forward); Bianca Quintero (SR, Guard), Brooke DeAlmeida (JR, Guard), 

Newcomers:  Lianna Lopena (SO, Guard), Emily Cranston (SO, Guard), Olivia Emmanual (SO, Guard), Lila Hopkins (SO, Guard), Shay McDonald (SO, Guard), Isabella Marotta (JR, Guard) Arianna Lajara (JR, Forward)

Team Outlook: Brick Memorial went from four wins two years ago to 11 wins last season and will look to build on last year’s improvement. The Mustangs graduated a good portion of their team from last year, but have a lot of sophomores to build for the future. Seniors Lexi Caruso and Kayla Herzer will lead the team, with Herzer leading the team with 202 rebounds last season.

Southern

Head Coach: Sean Sweeney, second Season

Assistant Coaches

Record Last Year: (4-19, 2-8 A South)

Returning Players Casey Collins (JR, Guard); Avery DiPietro (JR, Guard); Lindsey Kelly (SR, Guard); Brielle Romano (SR, Forward); Samantha Russell (JR, Guard); Skylar Soltis (SR, Forward)

Team Outlook: Southern Regional can surprise some teams in Class A South, with Skylar Soltis returning after missing a good portion of the season last year due to injury. She will provide a scoring option in the paint, while junior Casey Collins returns as the team’s leading scorer as she closes in on 1,000 points on her career. 

Toms River South

Head Coach: Christine Scherm, fourth Season

Assistant Coaches: Tonya Coppola and Kacey Woram

Record Last Year: (6-18, 0-10 A South)

Returning Players: Kassidy Colangelo (JR, Guard/Forward); Carly Helmstetter (JR, Guard); Kaliana Kearney (SR, Guard); Madeline Krohn (JR, Guard); Jada Milligan (SR, Guard); Hannah Puglisi (JR, Guard), Meaghan Weatherstone (SR, Guard/Forward), Emma Woch (SR, Guard/Forward)

Newcomers: Savannah Cats (SR, Forward), Ghianna Ignacio (SR, Guard), Marley Cradle (SR, Guard), Sophia Wiercinski (JR, Forward)

Team Outlook: TRS will look to build on winning the last two games of last season to end 2022-23 on a high note. The Indians graduated the majority of their scoring, with Meagan Weatherstone returning as the highest scorer back from last season.