This past 2024-2025 season for the J.P. Stevens has been a successful one since the girls found their rhythm on the court. The list of teams the Hawks have overcome range from South Plainfield, Woodbridge, Colonia, David Brearly, Perth Amboy, Robbinsville, Dayton, Highland Park, and East Brunswick Magnet on the way to an extremely impressive 13-14 record and a 5-9 record in the White Division.
The Hawks roster is filled with gifted players including Sophomore Aliyah Manley—who averages 14 points per game—and Senior Captain Chloe Chan who averages nine points per game and seven rebounds. In addition, they have a strong defensive presence led by Seniors Jeslyn Victor and Mansi Mohanraj who help orchestrate the team’s core defense through effective communication. In fact, as the 18th seed in the GMC bracket, the team won their play-in round vs. East Brunswick Magnet in a dominating fashion. They allowed the opposition to score only 12 points compared to their staggering 57. In fact, this victory was significant in that every Hawk had scored at least one point. In the State Tournament, the team played their first round match versus North Star Academy and won with a score of 45-43. This was the team’s first state playoff victory in over 15 years!
The Hawks consist of five seniors, Chloe Chan, Jeslyn Victor, Ruchi Rao, Amber White, and Mansi Mohanraj who have played together since their freshman year. They have helped to lead the team on their comeback from starting the season with a three game losing streak. Chloe said, “I am proud of this team making an incredible comeback towards the end of the season.” She added, “Especially because we lost so many of our seniors from last year, it was very difficult to replace them, so I am really proud of how everyone stepped up to help out.”
Head Coach Weber is incredibly proud of the Hawk’s ability to overcome the slow start to the season. Coach Weber remarked that they “started the season out 3-10 and a lot of teams would put their heads down and wouldn’t be as engaged moving forward. Not this team though. I believe that this level of commitment is the real reason we have turned our season around and it is all credit to these girls.”
All in all, the Hawks have had an impressive season despite minor setbacks. Now at the end of their season, the Hawks upped their game and showed resilience, determination, and a strong sense of teamwork. While their season might not have gone as planned, the Hawks are ready to take on whatever is coming next and come back stronger next season.
