Paul VI coach Orlando Hidalgo high fives Azanah Campbell during the New Jersey Non-Public A state championship played at Jersey Mike's Arena on the campus of Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey on Friday, March 14, 2025. Collin Conway/D2 Sports Network
PISCATAWAY - Through 27 games, the Paul VI High School Girls Basketball team was a perfect 27-0.
The Lady Eagles put that perfect record on the line against fellow 27-0 record holder, Morris Catholic. Paul VI came up empty-handed in their pursuit of a perfect season and its first state title since 1972 as Morris Catholic triumphed, 44-34. It was the third straight state title for the Crusaders.
After a lackluster first quarter, Paul VI found a groove in the second period storming back to make it a one-point game at the half.
It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that the wheels fell off and the Crusaders pulled away without the thought of looking back.
Tennessee commits Maya and Mia Pauldo combined for 36 points posting 21 and 15 points respectively for Morris Catholic. Senior forward Azanah Campbell scored a team-high 13 points in her final game as a Lady Eagle. Hofstra commit Kiyanna Blacks-Stewart hauled in a team-high 10 rebounds and added seven points in her last game for Paul VI as well.
Throughout the season, Paul VI showcased its ability to score from all three levels on the floor. As a team, the Lady Eagles drained 178 three-pointers, and 501 buckets inside the arc, and were consistent from the charity stripe shooting 75 percent. Leading the way beyond the arc was sophomore Brooke Stagliano who splashed 81 three-pointers and led the team in points scoring 401 points in her second varsity season.
During the backend of Paul VI's postseason run, Campbell and Blacks-Stewart projected their leadership hitting clutch shots in crucial moments. Blacks-Stewart's go-ahead bucket with under a minute left in the sectional semifinal and Campbell's offensive surge in the fourth quarter in the sectional final propelled the team to their spot in the state final.
"This has been the greatest team I've been a part of," Campbell said. "I'm so proud of how far we've come as a team. We never won a sectional final in all of my years until this year and we finally got to a state final. I'm grateful for my time here and hopefully, the girls coming back next year can get the job done."
Returning for coach Orlando Hidalgo's squad next year are three of his five starters including Stagliano, junior Rachel Thatcher, and sophomore Keiara Sellers. Thatcher averaged 8.5 points per game along with 5.1 rebounds per game making most of her impact felt in the playoffs. Sellers played the point guard role for the Lady Eagles notching time in all 28 games for Paul VI. Sellers led the team in assists with 125 on the season for an average of 4.5 per game helping distribute the wealth.
The resume posted by Paul VI heading into their matchup with Morris Catholic is easily one of the toughest in the entire state. A pair of wins over St. John Vianney, a pair over Gloucester Catholic, South Jersey Group 4 champion Cherokee, South Jersey Group 4 finalist Lenape, Red Bank Catholic in the sectional final, and five high-quality out-of-state wins headline the 27-1 record Paul VI posted this season.
"Coach gave us a hard schedule to prepare for moments like this," Blacks-Stewart said, "I don't know if we thought we'd be 27-0 at one point but we definitely knew we were capable of getting to the state final and winning it. Unfortunately, we didn't get the win but breaking the drought we had was a win itself."
Sporting a perfect record in the regular season comes with winning a division title. Paul VI's division also consists of both of the Lady Eagle's biggest rivals Bishop Eustace and Camden Catholic which Paul VI swept by a combined 89 points in four games.
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