To win the biggest hardest and most prestigious title in the state of New Jersey, a few things must take place. Like your seniors must have magical senior moments. Your star must make super human plays when the chips are down. Your best shooter must arrive at the right time. Your leader must be cold blooded when called upon to save the day. Then most of all, your bench must act like starters. Finally you must do the little things late. Well the NEW SHORE CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS checked all these boxes and because of this, RED BANK CATHOLIC owns the biggest chip of all the SCT Title.
Friday night St. Rose checked all the boxes needed to win. The found that 3rd third scorer they so desperately needed it. Then that 3rd scorer tired to will her team to victory. Brooke Missry was sensational. Cassidy Kruesi scored her 1000th point. But in between all that she hit big shot after big shot it seemed. Jada Lynch played maybe her most complete game of her career in the biggest moment of her career. She tired to win the SCT late on multiple occasions. Caroline Conforti quietly had another rock steady game. Belle Alvarado was once again the forgotten “WINNER”. St. Rose played a game for the ages. They did everything a team can do to win a chip. But to win a chip you must also do the little things late. Like rotate on the weak side late, take care of the ball, inbound the ball when the biggest chip of all is on the line. St Rose failed to do these things and like all great teams RBC took full advantage.
After the first half everyone knew St. Rose came to win. But it seemed every time St. Rose tired to close the door or run away from RBC. The Casey responded. When Casey Kruesi open the 3rd with a three point bomb to put St. Rose up by 7. It seemed they were a team of destiny. But the best shooter in the Shore Conference wasn’t hearing it. Katie Liggio matched her three and then went in to score 5 straight points. RBC went on a 15-0 run before Coach Chrissy Hatfield finally called a time out after St. Rose threw an inbound pass away. With RBC up 8 most felt the blowout city was coming. Instead St. Rose, like they have done all year, fought back as Cassidy Kruesi made a circus shot and got foul. It lit a fire under the St. Rose team and they ended the 3rd quarter only down by one. It started to feel like once again it was ST ROSE’S NIGHT.
The 4th quarter is when champions are made. It’s the time when the big dogs take over. First Brooke Missry went cuckoo for Cocoa puffs. She got red hot as in can’t miss hot. Then she got in the glass, got lost ball and more importantly got down and dirty on defense. It seemed she was everywhere. It seemed she was going to carry St. Rose to another massive upset over RBC. So when she hit a big three in the left corner to put St. Rose up 7, many folks starting to sing closing time. But seniors are different and Christina Liggio played like a senior on a different level. She came right back and matched Missry’s three. She also was dancing in the lane with dynamic moves to keep RBC in the game. To give them hope, to give them a chance. Christina Liggio had senior moments dreams in the biggest game of her life.
St Rose was up 5 points with 3 mins left. This is when coaching matters. This when coaches are judged. RBC has one of the best ever in Joe Montano. Coach Montano started Addy Nyemchek on Jada Lynch Friday and she held Lynch scoreless. Then in the 2nd quarter Coach Montano moved Daniela MALETSKY to guard Lynch and tried to wear her down and also protect Nyemchek from foul trouble . In the 3rd his star picked a strange 3rd foul not guarding Lynch and she went to the bench until the fourth. Coach Montano managed his stars foul trouble to perfection. When Jada Lynch started cooking in the 4th Coach Montano returned Nyemchek to Lynch to her to cool her off. Then with RBC down 5 with 3 mins and trying to slow the game down. Coach Montano once again went into his bag of tricks switched Nyemchek to Cassidy Kruesi and bang just like that Addy Nyemchek turned into the Cookie Monster and stole the ball and scored to cut the St Rose lead to 3. It was a massive play . The type of play only stars make. But the conductor was Joe Montano and he was not done yet.
It was put up or shut up time with under a 2 minutes and St . Rose was hanging on by thread and when you’re hanging on, you make mistakes. First Coach Montano did something he hadn’t done all night. He trapped the first pass on the in bound. This caught St. Rose by total surprise. It also led to panic city. Rather than call time out. St Rose stepped out of bounds. Then Tessa Liggio the RBC leader made them pay with a game trying cold blooded three. Then when Caroline Conforti fouled out trying to guard Nyemchek. St. Rose was forced to their bench. A bench they had not developed for these moments . This is when CHRISTINA LIGGIO went in the super duper senior mode, with the game tied. She chase down St. Rose and tipped the ball from behind. The purple people eaters made the hustle play and dived on the ball. But the arrow said RBC ball.
RBC had suffered the pain of losing a tough game 2 years ago in the SCT final. In many ways they gave it away. They were too young and their seniors couldn’t make senior plays. RBC has won everything in recent years from a state title and everything in between. But they hadn’t won a SCT CHAMPIONSHIP since 2013. But here they were, back with another chance. Here they were trying to survive a masterful performance by St. Rose. Here they were with ball and chance to end the SCT Drought.
The little things matter. Like DANELLA MALETSKY. and LOLA GIORDANO coming off the bench to combine for 8 points. Basically given RBC another double digit scorer on a big night where every point matters. But it was their defense that was the different maker. They willingness to “D” up when mattered most. Joe Montano’s rotations were not what he expected earlier in the game. But his two guards off the bench made life easy for him. They had all night and late in the game they would play a huge role to close the door on St . Rose.
Joe Montano gave the ball to ADDY NYEMCHECK with 26 seconds left and the game on the line. Yes that same Addy Nyemchek who made two big free throws earlier after Jada Lynch’s sensational drive to gave St. Rose the lead with under a minute early. Addy, held the ball until ten seconds. St. Rose was still in panic mode and forgot they had two fouls left to give. Pressure does that to you in big moments. It was as if time stood still as Nyemchek held the ball. Then she went to the basket. And that’s when all the little things mattered. First when it comes to Addy Nyemchek, she reminded everyone once again ..IT’S HER THE PASSING DUMMIES. She is the best passer in New Jersey. Next defense matters and St. Rose forgot to rotate on the weak side when Nyemchek drove to the basket; it was a devastating mistake. That’s because Tessa Carman was in senior mode on her future college home court. She also took time to turn into superwoman. That’s because she bubbled the ball and somehow recovered, gathered herself and scored the winning basket. It was poetic justice that Tessa carman scored the big basket. That’s because no player has had more pressure on her since the day she entered RBC. Many believed she’d be the one to lead them back to the promise land and that’s exactly what she did.
St. Rose had one more chance with 4 seconds to work some magic. They had the ball on the sidelines in front of their bench. But Joe Montano was in his bag the entire 4th quarter, and St. Rose at this point was feeling him on the sidelines. He put Addy Nyemchek on Jada Lynch taking the ball out. Then he put LOLA GIORDANO, DANELLA MALETSKY back in the game. The two along with Christina Liggio and Tessa Carman shut down any chance of St Rose making a in bound pass. The result was a 5 second count and RBC WINNING THE SCT CHIP… THE LITTLE THINGS!
ST. ROSE played a game from the heavens. They did not lose Friday. They won something more important that a CHIP. They won the respect of an entire community, school and fans of a sport. RBC proved once again the great teams find a way. RBC also reminded all of us, they are the Yankees of high school basketball. Not because of the wins and Championships. No, it’s because of the classy way Joe Montano runs his program. It’s because everyone knows the name on the back of the jersey is not bigger than the name on the front of the jersey… that name on the front? RBC!
CONGRATULATIONS TO RBC AND COACH MONTANO AND STAFF!