DIARY OF A FEMALE BALLER: BRYNN FARRELL (METUCHEN, NJ) ENTRY #2

BRYNN FARRELL & TEAM MILLER TEAMMATES

Hello Basketball World, Checking In With Gthing For Entry #2

Monday:  I came back up from the shore this morning for practice.  At practice we did lay-up drills and running on missed shots. We also worked on our press break and breaking a defensive press. After practice the team worked on posters and signs for senior night which is tomorrow at our home game. We only have two seniors on our team, but we also had to work on the boy’s posters too. I didn’t get home until dinner and then everyone from the team came over to finish the posters and put together gifts for the seniors. 

UNSIGNED SENIOR GUARD ALIYAH POWELL PATRICK SCHOOL (NEW, JERSEY)

Aliyah Powell is a combo guard. She is small but plays with a lot of energy and scores in bunches. She can shoot, as well as get her shot off in the paint against bigger defenders. She is disruptive on defense and is extremely tough.

UNSIGNED SENIOR GUARD ZA' NAJA JONES

PATRICK SCHOOL NEW JERSEY.

Za'naja Jones is a wing who is strong and athletic. She is a lock down defender, who can guard multiple positions. She plays extremely hard and she is more of a slasher at this point with an improving jump shot.

Diary Of A Female Baller: Brynn Farrell (Metuchen, NJ) Entry #1

Brynn Farrell and the Miller sisters

Hello Basketball World, This is Brynn checking in for week one of a Diary of a female baller.

Monday:   Today I wanted to go in early to shoot since our first county game was tonight, but I had a science quiz and needed to go to the extra help session before school instead. The science quiz was really hard and long and I am going to have to finish it tomorrow in class.  So, we played our first round of the counties at home against Spotswood.  We were leading the whole game but just couldn’t hold on and ended up losing by 5. I fouled out at the very end and was extremely frustrated with how I played. Today my shots just weren’t falling no matter what I did. The other team had a double and triple team on me most of the game and we just couldn’t seem to find our rhythm. I had my lowest scoring game of the season and was really upset. Our coaches told us after the game we were out rebounded 10-0 during the last quarter and that let the other team back in the game. I really didn’t want to talk to anyone after the game.

GTHING ONE ON ONE CONVERSATION WITH METUCHENS (NJ) FRESHMAN BRYNN FARRELL.

Q: So how have you been doing since the last time Gthing seen you.

A: I'm doing good. I started my freshman year at Metuchen High school. In the fall I played In the Rose Classic Tournament with some of my AAU girls which was a lot of fun and now I'm almost at the end of my first high school basketball season.

Q: How was your experience playing in the 3rd Annual Gthing All Star Classic.

A: I was honored to be asked to play in the game and it was a great experience. I'm always extremely nervous to play with other girls I don't know and I was happy to have my teammate Emma Boslet there with me. All of the girls were great and it was a lot of fun.

Q: When did you know, and how does it feel to be the leading scorer in New Jersey.

A: I think I first found out that I was in the lead after the Highland Park game in February. It feels great especially when I know my scoring has help our team win some games. I have been working really hard and I'm happy my shots have been falling.

Q: So as a freshman do you feel like there is any pressure on you.

A: No, I really don't feel like I have a lot of pressure on me, my goal is to just go out each game and play my hardest and do whatever I can to help my team. My coaches are very supportive and just ask me to give it my best effort.

Q: Now that you are playing at the high school level and not middle school no more, what would you say is the hardest transition.

A: The level of play is a lot different than in the middle school and the games matter for your record and your team's ranking, so there is added pressure to try to win. I feel like when I was in middle school and had a bad game it was okay, but now a loss can really impact the season.

Q: What would your goal be right now for you and your team.

A: Since we lost our first-round county game, as a team we are now focusing on the states and hoping to go further in the state tournament. Personally I want to try to work harder on my outside game and on creating more plays for my teammates.

Q: Are you ready to do this Diary Of A Female Baller with Gthing starting this week.

A: Yes, definitely.

Holmdel, NJ - Coaches Choice College Showcase brought in some top notch talent this year, this was their 11th Annual event that takes place at Holmdel High School. Tom Sclafani of Central Jersey Hawks was able to pull some of the top teams in the Tri-State Area together, teams included in the College Showcase was Philadelphia's Power House Archbishop Wood (PA) 32 who took on a deep St. John Vianney (NJ) 46. This was a back in forth game in which Vianney use their extra body's to wear down the undersized Vikings, (Seton Hall) 17' Kimi Evans 14 Pts size in strength was a little bit to much for Wood down on the block, Evans was able to do what she wanted to, just ask Woods Head Coach. 19' Sajada Bonner is starting to come into her own, scoring 6 Pts, and grabbing 5 Rebounds, Bonner has exceptional athleticism and can defend multiple positions. 19' Sarah Karpell dropped 10 Pts to help out, Archbishop Wood was lead by 18' Katie May (Northeastern). Rumson-Fair Haven (NJ) 53 vs Long Island Lutheran (NY) 62 was a intriguing game, Rumson came out with all there guns blazing, they where up by 10 at the half Katie Foos (NYU) was having a three point party in the first half but cooled off by the second half, she finished with 12 Pts making 4 three pointers, 18' Tori Hyduke was getting to lane early setting up her teammates and getting them a bunch of open looks. Tori finished with 7 Pts, 5 Assit, and 4 Rebounds, 17' Hannah Scanlan (Quinnipiac) 17 Pts, 11 Rebounds, and 20' Lucy Adams 10 Pts, Long Island never gave up, they kept apply pressure and would eventually get it to a single digit lead, they out scored the Bulldogs 31 - 12 in the second half, Crusaders Wing 19' Celeste Taylor who is ranked by ESPN told me that she wasn't worried and know that her and her teammates would make a come back, Taylor would finish with a game high 23 Pts her shots started to fall when they where in transition, then 19' Jada Patrick 21 Pts, 13 Rebounds was getting to the basket and getting a bunch of second chance shots that Long Island was looking for especially in the first half. Once the Crusaders finally got the lead, 18' Grace Stone 7 Pts started to play a little New Jersey ball, in would milk the clock down the stretch of the game. The game of the night would be a sellout crowd, standing room only to let you know the magnitude of this could be match up in New Jersey's TOC Championship in March. Manasquan (NJ) 54 vs Rutgers Prep (NJ) 62 The feel was in the air, this was a much needed game for Rutgers Prep who lost to Manasquan last year in the second round of the the TOC, 4:00 minutes into the game the Argonauts would lose one of their key players in 18' Jahsyni Knight the JR guard who makes the engine go in the Prep. Put that didn't seem to faze the Argonauts, Freshman's Olivia Mullins and Jasmine Lyles looked like veterans playing in coach Mary Klinger offense. But the Sophomore Sensation Leilani Correa 20 Pts stole the whole show, 19' Correa was getting to the basket with ease cutting through the lane of a tired Warriors defense, put that didn't stop a scrappy Manasquan team that just kept on fighting back. 17' Stella Clark (Northeastern) finished with 12 Pts, she was hot early on in the game draining to long three balls from the deep corner put kind of faded as the game went on. The other two key parts of Manasquan big three 18' Dara Mabrey 16 Pts and 19' Faith Masonius 15 Pts just wasn't enough to stop a red hot Prep team that also got some inside help from 17' Gabi Redden (Marist) 17 Pts.