Paul VI's Hannah Hidalgo Girls Basketball Player of the Year again; All-South Jersey teams
Hannah Hidalgo slammed the basketball off the ground in frustration.
The Paul VI High School senior had just lost a workout game to her younger brother Judah on their backyard court last summer.
Hannah won the first round, but Judah, a sophomore on the Eagles’ boys’ team, took the second.
That was not acceptable.
“Let’s run it again,” Hannah told their coach and father, Orlando.
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Hannah won the rubber match, but she was still frustrated. She threw the ball again, walked into the house and slammed her door shut.
Her other brother came out and told Orlando, “Dad, you created a monster.”
Hidalgo’s unrelenting drive to be the best helped make her the greatest player in Paul VI history. She capped her legendary career averaging 28.8 points, 7.3 steals, 6.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists as she led her team to a 21-3 record and the Non-Public A South finals.
Hidalgo, who became the 32nd player in South Jersey to ever reach the 2,000-point plateau and shattered the program’s all-time scoring mark, is the Courier-Post Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year for the third consecutive season.
“Hasn’t really set in yet,” said Hidalgo, who graduates with 2,135 points, almost 600 more than the previous high (1,538, Aliyah Stephens, 2017).
“Maybe it doesn’t right now,” Orlando replied, “but one day she’ll walk back and see her banner and it’ll be like, wow.”
Hidalgo accomplishment wasn’t unexpected. In seventh grade, she made a bucket list of goals.
Score 1,000 points. Check.
Score 2,000 points. Check.
Make Team USA. Check (Under-17 team last summer).
Become a McDonald’s All-American. Check.
Win a state championship.
The final goal was the only one she didn’t reach, though the Eagles came close this season as they fell to St. John Vianney 63-61 in a classic sectional final on March 1.
“We had some really fun games, hard-nosed,” Orlando said. “… Westtown (Pa., where Hidalgo scored a career-high 48 points), Rutgers Prep and St. John Vianney. Those three games were really so high level, so high intensity and two of those we won and she pretty much took over. … People say they saw the Westtown game, they said it was the game of the year. They saw Rutgers Prep, they said it was the game of the year. And everyone saw the St. John Vianney game, and they said it was the game of the year.”
Many dubbed Hidalgo the best they saw. She was named the Gatorade New Jersey Player of the Year and a finalist for the National honor. She was also a Naismith Second Team All-American.
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Her natural talent played a key role, but her greatest strength was her determination.
After getting her Player of the Year photos taken last week, she planned on getting in a workout at Paul VI’s gym.
“I wasn’t prepared for that,” Orlando said.
He probably should’ve been. He’s seen it for years.
“I was able to work at it,” Hannah said. “Hard work, constantly being in the gym, just constantly doing work while everybody else is out relaxing, everybody is going home, get up extra shots and extra work. I obviously want to be the best at what I do.”
She’ll get a chance to prove herself the next four years at Notre Dame, where she’s already excited about getting in the gym.
She’s also got her No. 1 goal set.
“Championships,” Hidalgo said. “That’s what my goal is for college. I didn’t get it here. I want to get it there.”
All-South Jersey First Team
Aaryn Battle, Camden Catholic, Sr. – Battle averaged 16.9 points per game as the Irish reached the South Jersey Invitational Basketball Tournament final and the semis of Non-Public A South. She concluded her career with 1,218 points.
Alexis Davis, Woodbury, Sr. – Davis averaged 25.5 points and 20.2 rebounds in a dominant senior season that led her to becoming the school’s all-time leader in both categories (2,145 points, 1,327 rebounds). Davis produced 20 points and 20 boards in 13 different games and hit the 30-20 mark on four occasions.
Hannah Hidalgo, Paul VI, Sr. – Three-time Courier-Post Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year. Hidalgo was also named the Gatorade New Jersey Player of the Year and was a finalist for the national award.
Gabby Recinto, Cherokee, Sr. – Recinto guided the Marlton program to a second straight SJIBT crown, third consecutive South Jersey Group 4 championship and third straight state final (2020 title game was canceled due to COVID). Recinto averaged a team-best 14.9 points and 7 rebounds. She closed her career with 1,089 points.
Brooke Sztenderowicz, Cinnaminson, Sr. – Sztenderowicz propelled the Pirates to the best season in program history. She averaged a team-high 13.4 points and eclipsed 1,000 for her career (1,027) as Cinnaminson (28-5) set a school record for victories, won the Burlington County Scholastic League Liberty Division title, reached the semifinals of the SJIBT and made its first-ever sectional final.
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Second Team
Riley Ahrens, Delran, Sr.
Kasey Bretones, Mainland, Jr.
Reese Downey, Absegami, So.
Jada Elston, Middle Twp., Sr.
Nia Scott, Shawnee, Sr.
Josh Friedman has produced award-winning South Jersey sports coverage for the Courier Post, The Daily Journal and the Burlington County Times for more than a decade. If you have or know of an interesting story to tell, reach out on Twitter at @JFriedman57 or via email at jfriedman2@gannettnj.com. You can also contact him at 856-486-2431. Help support local journalism with a subscription.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Paul VI's Hannah Hidalgo Player of Year again; All-South Jersey teams
