RBC girls, St. Rose boys reign supreme as Shore Conference Tournament champs
March 3, 2025 at 10:44 a.m.
While the Red Bank Catholic girls basketball team claimed its first Shore Conference Tournament title since 2013, Belmar’s St. Rose boys squad enjoyed the exhilaration for the second straight season.
The SCT championship games took place in Monmouth University’s Ocean First Bank Center Feb. 21, with two competitive contests. Fourth-seeded RBC (24-4) edged third-seeded St. Rose, 50-48, in the girls finals and fourth-seeded St. Rose (19-7) held off second-seeded Christian Brothers Academy, Lincroft, 45-36.
The Red Bank Catholic girls huddle together before taking the floor against St. Rose in the Shore Conference Tournament final. Courtesy photo “We’re really proud of it,” Caseys coach Joe Montano said. “I don’t know if it was frustration more than just disappointment (in the last 12 years). I have the esteemed privilege of losing the most championship games. It’s not an easy thing to do. You look at the final four, all four teams were ranked in the top eight in New Jersey.”
For two St. Rose seniors, there was satisfaction in being able to defend their crown.
“The feeling is great and I’m proud of my team for what we accomplished even if we had a couple up and downs during the season,” said forward Bryan Ebeling, who had seven points, six rebounds and a key defensive play.
“Winning it once was extremely tough but with the team we had (last year) we made it look easy,” said Evan Romano, who had nine of his 13 points in the decisive fourth quarter. “Winning it again after losing two senior captains almost means more and speaks to the amount of work we put in leading up to the season and during the season.
“We have a lot of younger guys who had to learn and mature quickly on the fly. The bullseye on our back is something that comes with winning so in a way I like how every team comes out and gives us their best shot.”
Girls Teams Face Off
RBC and St. Rose gave each other their best shots throughout the girls game. The Purple Roses led by seven, the Casesy went up eight, St. Rose battled back to go up six before RBC rallied for the victory. Addy Nyemchek had 13 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, followed by Christina Liggio (9 points, 3 steals), Tessa Carman (7 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks), Katie Liggio (7 points) and Tessa Liggio (6 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks).
“I can usually tell you about the last three minutes of a game chapter and verse,” Montano said. “But it all happened so fast in the last six minutes. Both teams deserve a lot of credit.”
The winning basket came with 10 seconds left when Nyemchek found Carman for a lay-up.
Asked if it was how he drew it up, Montano laughed and said, “That was called ‘Give the ball to your best player, get the heck out of the way and let her make a play.’ We wanted to get girls in position. If Addy could score, great. If she couldn’t score, I had a world of confidence in all of them.”
The win avenged a 61-54 loss to the Purple Roses on Jan. 3, when Jada Lynch exploded for 40 points. Lynch was limited to 17 in the SCT final but Montano felt she was still effective.
“We tweaked some things against her,” the coach said. “The first game was a great player having a great game. I thought she played just as well this time, making great passes to her teammates that hurt us with other kids scoring points.”
Brooke Missry had 15 for the Roses while Cassidy Kruesi had 11 points and 8 rebounds. Montano said the difference from the first game was, “We played better, not only defending but getting some good shots ourselves. We executed very well down the stretch. The first game I think we were a little afraid to lose. This game we went out and found ways to win.”
The coach felt that the confidence gained in winning the NJSIAA Non-Public A title last year, plus a challenging schedule this season helped fuel the SCT run. The Caseys return to action Feb. 28 against Princeton Day School in the first round of the loaded up South Jersey Non-Public A tournament.
Montano welcomed the off time.
“The kids are exhausted at this point,” he said. “I used to be able to give them a couple days off during the season, you can’t do that anymore. So, it was great to take a couple days off.”
Boys Find Solid Footing
The St. Rose boys have an even longer break as they got a first-round bye in SJ Non-Public B and do not play again until March 3 against the Doane Academy-Ranney winner.
It gives the Roses more time to relish their title, but Romano knows it will mean even more later in life.
“Because we are currently in the moment, we are having fun and just enjoying the fact that we won,” he said. “But it is small (for now) because we don’t realize the actual magnitude of the win, and the fact that this team is a family that is in the record books forever.”
Belmar's St. Rose boys basketball team proudly shows off their plaque after winning a second consecutive Shore Conference Tournament title at Monmouth University Feb. 21. Courtesy photo Romano was a big reason, as he hit some huge baskets in his fourth-quarter eruption. His biggest play came on a driving lay-up that capped a 5-0 run and gave St. Rose a 39-33 lead. Romano would make four of six foul shots down the stretch to keep his team ahead.
“I didn’t have a great start to the game so I knew if it was my time and I needed to knock it out,” he said. “You never know where the ball will land, especially on such a talented team. I just knew if the ball came to me, I had to make the big play. I was glad my guys found me.”
Jayden Hodge, who has stepped up as the Roses offensive leader this year, scored 14 of his 19 points in the first half and added 10 rebounds and three steals to draw praise from coach Brian Lynch.
Ebeling, who scored 20 in a SCT semifinals win over Manasquan, used his talents on the defensive end when he forced the Colts into a backcourt 10-second turnover with the Roses up three in the fourth quarter.
“That play sparked a bunch of stops that were to come and allowed us to gain an advantage that we could hold on to,” Romano said. “Bryan is a great defender, so for me that was just Bryan being Bryan.”
And Bryan understood it was important to be Bryan.
“I knew that my team needed a spark; I tried my best to do it on defense and I just did it,” said Ebeling, who was part of a big defensive effort in the second half. “Defense is always a key to every game and we defended pretty well and that helped us. We made their life way harder when we started to play defense the right way.”
Ebeling, Hodge and Romano are all three-year starters in a program that has won two South Jersey titles, one state championship and two SCT crowns during those years.
“The program has grown so much thanks to the great coaching staff,” Romano said. “Before I transferred (from Holmdel in 2022), they were one of the less competitive teams in the conference. In my first year we were one of the better teams and last year and this year we’re the best in the conference and a top five to 10 team in the state. Going from a decent shore team to a team that is competitive in the nation is a pretty big jump.”
They will try to become truly elite over the next two weeks by winning a second straight Non-Public B title.
“I feel really confident,” Ebeling said. “This week is gonna be really important to have great practices and prepare ourselves for what we are going up against.”
Romano thinks St. Rose’s tough schedule will help and said, “It takes a lot of focus but I think our guys are ready for the moment.”
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While the Red Bank Catholic girls basketball team claimed its first Shore Conference Tournament title since 2013, Belmar’s St. Rose boys squad enjoyed the exhilaration for the second straight season.
The SCT championship games took place in Monmouth University’s Ocean First Bank Center Feb. 21, with two competitive contests. Fourth-seeded RBC (24-4) edged third-seeded St. Rose, 50-48, in the girls finals and fourth-seeded St. Rose (19-7) held off second-seeded Christian Brothers Academy, Lincroft, 45-36.
The Red Bank Catholic girls huddle together before taking the floor against St. Rose in the Shore Conference Tournament final. Courtesy photo “We’re really proud of it,” Caseys coach Joe Montano said. “I don’t know if it was frustration more than just disappointment (in the last 12 years). I have the esteemed privilege of losing the most championship games. It’s not an easy thing to do. You look at the final four, all four teams were ranked in the top eight in New Jersey.”
For two St. Rose seniors, there was satisfaction in being able to defend their crown.
“The feeling is great and I’m proud of my team for what we accomplished even if we had a couple up and downs during the season,” said forward Bryan Ebeling, who had seven points, six rebounds and a key defensive play.
“Winning it once was extremely tough but with the team we had (last year) we made it look easy,” said Evan Romano, who had nine of his 13 points in the decisive fourth quarter. “Winning it again after losing two senior captains almost means more and speaks to the amount of work we put in leading up to the season and during the season.
“We have a lot of younger guys who had to learn and mature quickly on the fly. The bullseye on our back is something that comes with winning so in a way I like how every team comes out and gives us their best shot.”
Girls Teams Face Off
RBC and St. Rose gave each other their best shots throughout the girls game. The Purple Roses led by seven, the Casesy went up eight, St. Rose battled back to go up six before RBC rallied for the victory. Addy Nyemchek had 13 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, followed by Christina Liggio (9 points, 3 steals), Tessa Carman (7 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks), Katie Liggio (7 points) and Tessa Liggio (6 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks).
“I can usually tell you about the last three minutes of a game chapter and verse,” Montano said. “But it all happened so fast in the last six minutes. Both teams deserve a lot of credit.”
The winning basket came with 10 seconds left when Nyemchek found Carman for a lay-up.
Asked if it was how he drew it up, Montano laughed and said, “That was called ‘Give the ball to your best player, get the heck out of the way and let her make a play.’ We wanted to get girls in position. If Addy could score, great. If she couldn’t score, I had a world of confidence in all of them.”
The win avenged a 61-54 loss to the Purple Roses on Jan. 3, when Jada Lynch exploded for 40 points. Lynch was limited to 17 in the SCT final but Montano felt she was still effective.
“We tweaked some things against her,” the coach said. “The first game was a great player having a great game. I thought she played just as well this time, making great passes to her teammates that hurt us with other kids scoring points.”
Brooke Missry had 15 for the Roses while Cassidy Kruesi had 11 points and 8 rebounds. Montano said the difference from the first game was, “We played better, not only defending but getting some good shots ourselves. We executed very well down the stretch. The first game I think we were a little afraid to lose. This game we went out and found ways to win.”
The coach felt that the confidence gained in winning the NJSIAA Non-Public A title last year, plus a challenging schedule this season helped fuel the SCT run. The Caseys return to action Feb. 28 against Princeton Day School in the first round of the loaded up South Jersey Non-Public A tournament.
Montano welcomed the off time.
“The kids are exhausted at this point,” he said. “I used to be able to give them a couple days off during the season, you can’t do that anymore. So, it was great to take a couple days off.”
Boys Find Solid Footing
The St. Rose boys have an even longer break as they got a first-round bye in SJ Non-Public B and do not play again until March 3 against the Doane Academy-Ranney winner.
It gives the Roses more time to relish their title, but Romano knows it will mean even more later in life.
“Because we are currently in the moment, we are having fun and just enjoying the fact that we won,” he said. “But it is small (for now) because we don’t realize the actual magnitude of the win, and the fact that this team is a family that is in the record books forever.”
Belmar's St. Rose boys basketball team proudly shows off their plaque after winning a second consecutive Shore Conference Tournament title at Monmouth University Feb. 21. Courtesy photo Romano was a big reason, as he hit some huge baskets in his fourth-quarter eruption. His biggest play came on a driving lay-up that capped a 5-0 run and gave St. Rose a 39-33 lead. Romano would make four of six foul shots down the stretch to keep his team ahead.
“I didn’t have a great start to the game so I knew if it was my time and I needed to knock it out,” he said. “You never know where the ball will land, especially on such a talented team. I just knew if the ball came to me, I had to make the big play. I was glad my guys found me.”
Jayden Hodge, who has stepped up as the Roses offensive leader this year, scored 14 of his 19 points in the first half and added 10 rebounds and three steals to draw praise from coach Brian Lynch.
Ebeling, who scored 20 in a SCT semifinals win over Manasquan, used his talents on the defensive end when he forced the Colts into a backcourt 10-second turnover with the Roses up three in the fourth quarter.
“That play sparked a bunch of stops that were to come and allowed us to gain an advantage that we could hold on to,” Romano said. “Bryan is a great defender, so for me that was just Bryan being Bryan.”
And Bryan understood it was important to be Bryan.
“I knew that my team needed a spark; I tried my best to do it on defense and I just did it,” said Ebeling, who was part of a big defensive effort in the second half. “Defense is always a key to every game and we defended pretty well and that helped us. We made their life way harder when we started to play defense the right way.”
Ebeling, Hodge and Romano are all three-year starters in a program that has won two South Jersey titles, one state championship and two SCT crowns during those years.
“The program has grown so much thanks to the great coaching staff,” Romano said. “Before I transferred (from Holmdel in 2022), they were one of the less competitive teams in the conference. In my first year we were one of the better teams and last year and this year we’re the best in the conference and a top five to 10 team in the state. Going from a decent shore team to a team that is competitive in the nation is a pretty big jump.”
They will try to become truly elite over the next two weeks by winning a second straight Non-Public B title.
“I feel really confident,” Ebeling said. “This week is gonna be really important to have great practices and prepare ourselves for what we are going up against.”
Romano thinks St. Rose’s tough schedule will help and said, “It takes a lot of focus but I think our guys are ready for the moment.”