NJSIAA South Jersey Non-Public A Championship Preview: 1 vs. 2

In what many considered to be a foregone conclusion at the outset of the 2025-2026 Shore Conference Girls Basketball season, the South Jersey Non-Public A Championship will feature the number one and two teams in the state. Red Bank Catholic and St. John Vianney, who are separated by just 7.4 miles, enter the sectional title ranked ninth and tenth in the country respectively. The game, originally slated for Lenape High School in Marlton, was shifted to Jackson Township High School, a much more geographically friendly location for both schools and their fan bases after a large outcry on social media from media and fans alike. We break down the teams’ fourth matchup of the season below.

NJSIAA South Jersey Non-Public A Championship

Monday, March 9, 2026

No. 1 Red Bank Catholic vs No. 2 St. John Vianney at Jackson Township High School, 7 p.m.

Teams at a Glance

Red Bank Catholic (28-2)

Head Coach: Joe Montano
Last Sectional Championship: 2024
Last Sectional Final Appearance: 2025
Total Sectional Finals: 10
Road to the Final: Defeated No. 8 Union Catholic, 75-22; No. 4 St. Thomas Aquinas, 68-31

Projected Starters

Tessa Liggio, Sr., 5-7 (6.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 2.2 steals)

Katie Liggio, Sr., 5-9 (11.9 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.1 steals)

Daniela Maletsky, Sr., 5-10 (3.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.7 steals)

Addy Nyemchek, Sr., 6-1 (19.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.4 blocks, 2.9 steals)

Sophie Smith, Sr., 6-2 (6.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.77 blocks, 1.1 steals)

Off the Bench

Lola Giordano, Sr., 5-8 (2.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.8 steals)

Sumaiyah Lashley, Fr., 5-11 (4.0 points, 1.7 rebounds)

Scarlet LeVake, Sr., 6-2 (5.2 points, 4.6 rebounds)

 

Red Bank Catholic’s championship pedigree is well known. The Caseys have won 10 sectional titles, all since 1996, and nine state championships. They won two Tournament of Champions titles in 1996 and 2000. The Caseys have produced numerous all-state selections over the years including Angela and Michelle Cappadonna in the late 1990’s, Jessica De Palo in the early 2000’s, Kristina Danella in the late 2000’s, and most recently current senior Addy Nyemchek who earned the honor in 2024, 2025, and is a lock to earn the honor again in 2026. Almost any program would sign up for that level of success, but it has been overshadowed throughout the years by St. John Vianney who came on to the scene as a national power sooner and has double the state titles and more than double the sectional titles.

While they do not have the historical edge, the Caseys have had the edge over the Lancers the last few years. Since going 0-2 as freshman in both the Shore Conference Tournament and South Jersey Non-Public A playoffs, the current crop of seniors has won five of the last six matchups including a 59-51 win in 2024 on their way to a state championship and a 53-49 win the Shore Conference Tournament Championship this season.

A win over St. John Vianney and one more win in the following round would solidify Red Bank Catholic’s senior class as one of the greatest individual classes in Shore Conference history. The seniors have won 107 games over four years which includes the state championship, the sectional title, two Shore Conference Tournament titles, and four division titles.

“It’s hard this time of the season to keep the girls motivated,” said RBC head coach Joe Montano.  “Our practices have been really good the past week, and I expect the girls to be ready to go for the championship.”

If it has been a challenge for a Coach Montano to keep his players motivated, it has not appeared that way on game day. The Caseys have won 15 games in row dating back to the January 22nd loss to St. John Vianney. Outside of the four-point victory over the Lancers in the Shore Conference final, the Caseys have not had an opponent closer than 27 points in the postseason.

The Caseys’ roster is littered with Division 1 talent. Nyemchek is committed to Indiana; Tessa Liggio to Bucknell; Katie Liggio to Rhode Island; Daniela Maletsky to Army; Sophie Smith to Harvard; Scarlet Levake to New Hampshire. The only senior not committed to a Division 1 roster is Giordano who is committed to Division 2 East Stroudsburg.

The focal point of the offense is Nyemchek who is at her best receiving the ball in the high post in the triple-threat position where she possesses an exceptional mid-range job shot, the ability to drive past defenders and finish, and create quality shots for her teammates with elite vision and passing. She will be a difficult assignment for the Lancers who know her as well as anyone and likely cannot shut her down but will try to stop her from completely taking over the game.

Katie Liggio is one of the best shooters in the state of New Jersey. She has knocked down a team-leading 59 three-pointers this season and does a tremendous job spreading the floor for the Caseys. Her twin sister Tessa is more of a point guard, leading the team in assists although she is also a dangerous shooter with 34 three-pointers on the season including a season-high four in the Shore Conference Tournament championship. The Lancers prioritized taking Katie away in the Shore Conference title game which resulted in open looks for Tessa who made them pay.

Maletsky and Giordano often rotate in for one another as they draw the opposing team’s top offensive threat. By splitting the assignment, they are able to go full tilt with aggression and energy for a few minute bursts which often makes life difficult for the player they are guarding. It should be expected that they take turns guarding the Lancers’ top scorer in Madison Kocis.

Smith and LeVake are “glue guys” in the front court. St. John Vianney has a terrific front court with Stella Lockhart and Taylor Sofilkanich. The Caseys’ pair will have to battle on the glass where they are giving up a few inches particularly to Sofilkanich who is listed two inches taller than both of them. Lockhart is very strong so they along with Nyemchek who often plays the “4” on defense will have to use their length to disrupt her.

 

St. John Vianney (26-3)

Head Coach: Dawn Karpell
Last Sectional Championship: 2023
Last Sectional Final Appearance: 2023
Total Sectional Finals: 21
Road to the Final: Defeated No. 15 Donovan Catholic, 67-16; No. 7 Bishop Eustace, 73-22; No. 3 Paul VI, 63-54

Projected Starters

Gianna Sano, So., 5-8 (5.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.4 steals)

Tatum Sharpe, Jr., 5-11 (4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.3 steals)

Madison Kocis, Sr., 6-0 (13.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.4 steals)

Stella Lockhart, Sr., 6-1 (11.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.2 steals)

Taylor Sofilkanich, Sr., 6-4 (13.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.8 blocks, 0.6 steals)

Off the Bench

Avery Barth, Jr., 5-5 (2.8 points, 1.8 rebounds)

Charlotte Bradley, Sr., 5-9 (4.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists)

Antonia Jackson, So., 5-10 (4.6 points, 1.5 rebounds)

Elisabeth Lyons, Jr., 5-8 (4.0 points, 2.0 rebounds)

Brynn Utter, Jr., 5-7 (2.7 points)

 

St. John Vianney is the ultimate “blue blood” in New Jersey girls basketball. The Lancers have won a state-leading 21 sectional titles, a state-leading 18 state championships, and a state-leading eight Tournament of Champions titles before the tournament was axed after the 2022 season. The Lancers have produced too many all-state players to list from over the years which includes the likes of Audrey and Erica Gomez, Kelly Campbell, Madison St. Rose, Zoe Brooks, and many more. No one can question St. John Vianney’s place atop the highest tier of teams in New Jersey, but this senior class is still chasing their own state title and will need to go through their rival Red Bank Catholic before they can get there.

Since going 2-0 over Red Bank Catholic as freshman and advancing to the Non-Public A State Championship where they would lose to Immaculate Heart in the final, the Lancers’ senior class is 1-5 against the Caseys. The current crop of seniors has won 101 games over four years including a Shore Conference title and sectional title as freshmen in 2023, a Shore Conference title in 2024, and three division titles.

The Lancers had a much harder road to the sectional final than the Caseys, having to go through defending sectional champion Paul VI, the third-ranked team in the state, to get there. St. John Vianney trailed 31-29 at the half and 42-40 at the end of the third quarter before outscoring the Eagles 23-12 in the final quarter with their season in the balance.

“Our seniors were not going to let us lose this game,” said SJV head coach Dawn Karpell.  “We are going to need to play Monday like we did in the fourth quarter against Paul VI in order to win.”

Similar to Red Bank Catholic, St. John Vianney boasts significant Division 1 talent. Kocis is committed to Pennsylvania; Lockhart to Georgetown; Sofilkanich to Duke. A handful of underclassmen are also drawing Division 1 interest.

The number one scoring option is Kocis who can score at all three levels and leads the team with 53 three-pointers this season. She will be a difficult assignment for the Caseys due to having a height advantage on all of their guards and a speed advantage on all of their forwards. In the one game that the Lancers won over the Caseys this season, Kocis could not be stopped as she scored a game-high 27 points and knocked down five three-pointers.

Lockhart could potentially be the biggest mismatch in this game. She is by far the strongest player on the court and will be difficult to stop if she gets the ball down on the block. Lockhart has the potential to completely change the game if she can get Red Bank Catholic’s front court in foul trouble. In the Shore Conference Championship, it was Lockhart helped rally the Lancers to make the game close down the stretch finishing with 17 points and 12 rebounds.

Sofilkanich will be the tallest player on the court. She has given teams problems this year making it difficult to score. She is one of the top shot blockers in the Shore Conference and alters even more shots than she blocks. Sofilkanich is another player that gets to the free throw line often where she shoots a tremendous percentage of 83.9 on 112 attempts.

Sharpe is one of the Lancers better defenders. Coach Karpell has a difficult decision to make trying to determine which player to put Sharpe on. Nyemchek is the biggest weapon, but Sharpe will be giving up height and length. She could also potentially shadow one of the Liggio sisters.

Sano has taken on the massive responsibility of being the Lancers floor general as a sophomore. She has done a tremendous job navigating pressure against a high-level schedule. That big game experience may pay its dividends in a game of this magnitude.

Bradley played a big impact in the Shore Conference Championship. It seemed like whenever she was on the floor, the Lancers were outscoring the Caseys. The senior returned from a devastating knee injury and has helped will her team towards the finish line.

 

The Match-Up

Red Bank Catholic enters the game as a slight favorite after winning two of the three regular season matchups including the Shore Conference title. The Caseys have a bit more team speed which helps them force more turnovers. They have come away with almost 100 more steals on the season. Despite giving up a few inches in height, they have actually pulled down about 130 more rebounds on the season. Red Bank Catholic has also had the better ball movement with over 140 more assists as a team. The Caseys need to win the possession game by forcing more turnovers and boxing out on the glass. If they can do that, it would take an abnormally bad shooting night for the Red Bank Catholic or a tremendous shooting night from St. John Vianney to sway the game.

St. John Vianney could have easily won the final matchup if they did not get off to such a slow start. The Lancers need to come out with the same intensity in the first quarter as they did in the last three quarters if they want to come away with the sectional title. St. John Vianney has an edge in three-point shooting having made over 30 more three-pointers despite playing one less game. The Lancers have also been slightly better at the free throw line, which could certainly have an impact in a game that goes down to the wire. They absolutely have to use their superior size to win the battle on the glass and they have to keep the turnover battle even.

Anytime the top two teams in the state play, an all-time classic is expected. When the teams are only separated by 7.4 miles and know each other like the back of their hand, it makes for the most thrilling experience in high school athletics. This game could go either way and our staff is divided on the winner.

Doug’s Pick: RBC 58-54

Nick’s Pick: SJV 64-63 in OT