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Back on Top: Red Bank Catholic Girls Basketball Defeats St. Rose for SCT Title

Nick Lowe|February 22, 2025|Last Updated February 22, 2025

WEST LONG BRANCH — After coming close to ending its decade-long drought with a Shore Conference Tournament championship two years ago, the Red Bank Catholic girls basketball put an end to a 12-year SCT championship drought Friday with a 50-48 win over St. Rose to win its first championship since 2013. 

After a back-and-forth battle, the game came down to one possession with 26 seconds left. The Caseys inbounded the ball from the baseline to Addy Nyemchek who dribbled the clock down until she finally attacked the basket, causing St. Rose to switch defenders. With the switch, Monmouth University commit Tessa Carman found an opening under the basket and Nyemchek hit her after driving the baseline for the game-winning layup with 4.3 seconds left.

With Nyemchek guarding the inbounder on the next St. Rose possession, Red Bank Catholic forced a five-second violation to get the ball back and ran out the remaining four seconds to seal the championship.

“We knew that this was the seniors’ last ride,” said Carman, who finished with 7 points and is one of two senior regulars on the team, along with fellow starter Christina Liggio. “I said to myself, ‘I am not going to let my team lose here.’ I am playing here (Monmouth) next year and I wanted it to all happen here and having the game-winning shot felt great.”

Tessa Carman working against Manasquan in the SCT semifinal at RW Barnabas. 2/18/25. Photo by Tom Smith - SCT Semi RBC Tessa Carman

Tessa Carman working against Manasquan in the SCT semifinal at RW Barnabas. 2/18/25. Photo by Tom Smith

RBC got off to a slow start, trailing 7-1 early, but was able to tie the game at 11 by the end of the first quarter. Tampa University commit Cassidy Kruesi gave St. Rose their biggest lead, 24-17, early in the third quarter, but the Caseys would respond with a 15-0 run.

Five different players scored for RBC in that run, with Katie Liggio scoring five of her seven points and Lola Giordano scoring four of her six points. Giordano played an important part coming off the bench in the Caseys win against Manasquan in the semifinal round, scoring 14 points.

“She (Giordano) has been incredible,” RBC head coach Joe Montano said. “Incredible effort. She is a team-first kid and it is not about her. You ask any kid in that locker room, she is the most respected kid in the room.”

RBC would take its biggest lead of the game, 32-24, but the Purple Roses responded to get it to within two points, 36-34, to end the quarter. Kruesi scored 9 of her 11 points in the quarter, including the 1,000th point of her career on a putback as she was fouled. 

St. Rose surged in front, 46-41, with 3:23 left in the game. Junior Jada Lynch scored 7 out of her game-high 17 points in the fourth quarter and Brooke Missry knocked down two 3-pointers in the run on the way to finishing with 15 points. 

Following a timeout by Montano with 3:23 left, Nyemchek started a 5-0 run for RBC with a steal and basket, followed by a 3-pointer from Tessa Liggio. After a basket by Lynch to put St. Rose back on top, 48-46, with 1:01 left in the game, Nyemchek earned a trip to the free-throw line when Caroline Conforti committed her fifth foul. Not only did Nyemchek tie the game with 47.4 seconds left by making both free throws; she caused St. Rose to lose Conforti, who played a big part on the glass with four offensive rebounds.

“My coaches looked at me and said ‘You only have one timeout left,’” Montano said. “I go, ‘If I don’t use the timeout now we won’t have to stop the clock. I got them together and said look we have to get in our blitz package. You have to put your heart and soul on the line.”

Two years ago when RBC lost to St. John Vianney, 58-52, then sophomores Christina Liggio and Carman combined for 25 points and the freshman class added 13 more. This year as seniors, Carman and Liggio combined for 16 points and the juniors combined for.

“We prepared so much for this game,” Giordano said. “We had to go based on what we watched from their tape, but we also had to play our game and that is when we are the most successful. You work so hard to get here and once you’re here you do not want to waste it so you need to put all your effort into it.”

Last season the Caseys had high expectations after making the SCT final in 2023, but they fell in the semifinal round to Manasquan, 59-56. 

“We remembered all those losses sophomore year and last year we did not get here,” said Christina Liggio, who had a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter to slow St. Rose’s run.  “We had the experience and we knew why we lost the last time we were here and we were not going to make those mistakes this time. 

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