Girls Basketball Shore Conference Tournament Second-Round Preview and Predictions

Nick Lowe|February 13, 2025|Last Updated February 13, 2025

Girls Basketball Shore Conference Tournament Second Round Preview

Doug Brustman contributed to this post

Shore Sports Insider broke down the opening round of the Shore Conference Tournament and Coaches Cup Tournament on the Give and Go Podcast, on Monday. Wednesday we broke down the second round and posted the link below. Each round, we will be posting a short preview to each game and predictions made by Doug Brustman, Nick Lowe and a guest. The opening round guest picker was former Wall Head Coach Colleen Wisher who went 3-2. The second round guest picker is Pinelands coach John Tierney.

Record after the opening round.

Doug – 2-3

Nick – 3-2

Guest – 3-2

(16) Colts Neck at (1) Manasquan, 4:30 p.m.

Manasquan (18-3), is the number one seed and finished Class A Central division play at 9-0. The Warriors come in as one of the hottest teams in the Shore. The guard heavy Warriors are led by seniors Olivia Shaughnessy and Shea Donnelly. The floor generals have taken their games to a new level this year. Shaughnessy is averaging 9 PPG, while Donnelly leads the team at 10.1 PPG. Fellow senior Shannon Heine has been stellar on the defensive end, drawing the opponents toughest assignment and locking them down. Jordyn Hollowell is the steady hand on offense, leading the team with 56 assists. Kayden Clark, Grace Love, and Shannon Looney have also provided big moments for the Warriors all season.

Senior Shea Donnelly scores against Red Bank Regional in the Boardwalk Classic at Georgian Court University on 1/12/25. Photo by Tom Smith

Colts Neck (12-7) is coming off a round one victory over Freehold Boro and looks to shock the Shore in the second round. The Cougars led by three points at halftime and opened the game up with a 16-5 third quarter against the Colonials. Senior Katie Dichter and Freshman Emily Donahue led the team with 12 points each. Freshman Julianna Jasina added 10 points and played an important role in the paint.

Prediction

Doug – Manasquan

Nick – Manasquan

Guest – Manasquan

(9) Rumson-Fair Haven at (8) Trinity Hall, 4 p.m.

Rumson Fair-Haven (11-10) finished 5-5 in the A Coastal division. The Bulldogs, who earned a first round bye, are led by junior Erin Reid who paces RFH with a 13.5 PPG average. Senior guard Sylvia Notine, a UNC field hockey commit, has been steady all season, averaging 9.6 PPG. Sophomores Grace Smith and Brooke Jaenicke, and junior Chloe Kelly have provided a much needed spark on the offensive end for Rumson. RFH will look to turn the tables on Trinity Hall after falling to them in the second game of the season with a strong defensive effort.

Junior Erin Reid in the WOBM Christmas Classic Final. Photo by Tom Smith

Trinity Hall (17-6) finished second in Class A North at 8-2 and earned a first round bye. The Monarchs are led by junior Grace Feeney, who is averaging 15.2 ppg and 7.3 rebounds per game. Feeney has responded to a more important role on the offensive side of the floor. Senior Lilly Riggi, an East Stroudsburg commit, as well as juniors Whitney Hobson, Bridget Rigney, and Niamh Stapleton round out a strong and scrappy starting five. Trinity Hall owns a victory over RFH, an early season 43-31 win on the road.

Predictions

Doug – Trinity Hall

Nick – Rumson

Guest – Trinity Hall

(12) Barnegat, at (5) Red Bank Regional, 5 p.m.

Barnegat (17-4) won a hard fought game in the opening round against Freehold Township. It was a game of runs, and Barnegat had the latest one in the third quarter to build a lead. Without star Emma Thornton, Zemirah Enalls scored 33 points and grabbed 22 rebounds. Enalls will need to use her athletic ability to counter the height of Caroline Polloway. Senior Riley Fitzpatrick, who finished with 17 points in the first round, is the leader on the court for Barnegat and does everything she needs to help her team win. Against the Patriots she knocked a 3-pointer during the Barnegat run, converted on her foul shots down the stretch and set her teammates up for easy shots.

The Bucs (13-6) finished 5-4 in the tough A Coastal division. They come into the matchup without Junior Synai Blychanton, the Bucs leading scorer on the season, who is out with an injury. Senior Caroline Polloway has been outstanding this year, averaging 10.7 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. The backcourt duo of Riley Wheeler and Riley Joyce will look to control the tempo for the Bucs, and Junior Zoe Gully can light up the scoreboard on any given night with her 3-point shooting. Junior Kristen Connors rounds out the starting lineup and will be counted on to provide energy on both ends of the floor.

Junior Riley Wheeler finished with 11 points. (Photo by Tom Smith)

Predictions:

Doug – Red Bank Regional

Nick – Red Bank Regional

Guest – Red Bank Regional

(20) Holmdel at (4) Red Bank Catholic, 5:30 p.m.

Holmdel (8-12) won a close battle against Brick Township in the opening round of the SCT. The Hornets were the only team to get an upset in the first round led by Holy Cross commit Mackenzie Teevan. Teevan posted her 13th double-double of the season with 24 points and 16 rebounds. She also had five blocks on the defensive end and caused problems for Brick Township. Freshman Casey Zammit added 12 points and ran the Holmdel offense. Zammit, Claire Gillespie, Quinn Smigelsky and Maeve Flaherty have played important roles in their first season.

Mackenzie Teevan blocks a shot against Middletown South on 1/23/25. Photo by Tom Smith

RBC (20-4), who went undefeated in Class A Coastal, owns a pair of double-digits wins over the Hornets. RBC is led by junior All-Shore forward Addy Nyemchek, who is averaging 14.2 PPG. Christina Liggio, a Naval Academy commit, has been on a roll as of late, pouring in a season high 22 against Gloucester Catholic. Fellow senior Tessa Carmen, a Monmouth commit, does the dirty work for RBC, averaging 9 points and 7 boards per contest. A strong junior class including Tessa and Kate Liggio, Daniella Maletsky, Lola Giordano, and Sophie Smith make the Casey’s one of the deepest teams in the Shore.

Addy Nyemcheck goes for lay-up against Morris Catholic at Georgian Court on 1/12/25. Photo by Tom Smith

Prediction:

Doug – Red Bank Catholic

Nick – Red Bank Catholic

Guest – Red Bank Catholic

(14) Shore Regional at (3) St. Rose, 4 p.m.

Shore (13-9) won their opening round game in convincing fashion, 44-24 over Middletown North. With three players averaging double-digits on the season, it was a new name who led the team in scoring. Sophomore Grace Ascolese knocked down five 3-pointers to score a career-high 16 points. Junior Ava Coyle hit three 3-pointers to finish with 14 points. Seniors Kimi Sayson and Reese Fiore, who led the team in scoring with Coyle, were held to 10 points in the opening round.

Junior Ava Coyle bringing the ball up for Shore Regional against Ranney. 1/6/25 Photo by Tom Smith

St. Rose (18-4) finished the season in second place in Class A Central with a 8-2 record. The Purple Roses have wins against some of the top teams in New Jersey, but their biggest win came against RBC. Junior Jada Lynch is one of the best players in the Shore Conference and averages 19 PPG and 6.6 RPG for St. Rose. Lynch can knock down the 3-point shot and use her strength to drive to the basket and draw a foul. Senior Cassidy Kruesi is a player who does it all for the Roses. She is averaging 13.8 PPG and has 54 3-pointers. Kruesi is most valued with her leadership on the floor and is one of the best defenders in the Shore Conference every season. Seniors Caroline Conforti and Gianna Rodriguez provide size and play physical defense on the inside.

Predictions:

Doug – St. Rose

Nick – St. Rose

Guest – St. Rose

(11) Toms River East at (6) Howell, 4 p.m.

Toms River East (18-4) won Class A South with a 9-1 record and earned a first round bye. The Raiders surprised many this season after graduating the majority of last year’s offense. Senior Grace Crowley took over the leadership role and improved her PPG from 2.8 to 10.5 this season. As the season progressed, other players got more comfortable in their roles and helped TRE win 14 straight games. Sophomores Kacey Briles (9.3 PPG) and Libby Dickman (8.5 PPG) have become reliable scoring options. Freshman Brooke Gathman (5 PPG) has proven to be one of the best shot blockers in the conference with 77.

Brooke Gathman against Wall in the WOBM Final at RW Barnabas Arena on 12/30/24. Photo by Tom Smith

Howell (16-4) finished in third place in Class A Central with a 6-4 record and earned a first round bye. The Rebels are led by the twin towers, Kiera McKown (14.3 PPG) and Kylee Beam (14.3 PPG). Both players are strong post players and can play physically on both sides of the floor. McKown averaged 10.75 RPB and has 79 blocks on the season. Junior BellaRose Marino (10.1PPG) has gone from being a 3-point shooter last season to a player who can finish at the basket. Senior Ashley Smith runs the offense and is a pass first point guard, but her strength is on the defensive side of the floor. Most nights she gets the toughest assignment in shutting down the opponents best perimeter player.

BellaRose Marino driving against Manasquan on 2/4/25. Photo by Tom Smith

Prediction:

Doug – Howell

Nick – Howell

Guest – Howell

(10) Point Boro at (7) Ranney, 4 p.m.

Point Boro (19-2) went 10-0 in Class B Central to win the division and earned a first round bye. The Panthers two losses this season came to Rumson and Ranney in close games. Point Boro starts five seniors that have been playing together for years. Vanessa Haas is having a great season averaging 13.8 PPG and broke her career-high two times this season. She has an excellent mid range jump shot and can get to the basket and draw fouls. Guards Emily Marinelli (9.8 PPG) and Sarah Dahl (10 PPG) can both handle the ball and knock down the shot from behind the arc. Dahl also does a great job distributing the ball, leading the team with 85 assists. Katherine Henn and Gabby Mellet control the boards for the Panthers with their size. Henn does a good job handling the ball and can find the open player for easy baskets.

Ranney (14-6) went 10-0 in Class A North to win the division title and earned a first round bye. The Panthers brought back several players with experience and added depth to their roster. Senior Michelle Steele (11 PPG) transferred from Holmdel and can do everything on the court. Steele can handle the ball, get to the basket and can defend. Senior Haley Poser (17.3) is one of the best 3-point shooters in the conference and can get to the basket. Sophomore Ashley Krieger has taken her game to the next level this season averaging 14.5 PPG and 8.2 RPG. Her height causes problems for opponents on the glass and disrupts their shots.

Sophomore Ashley Kreiger scored a career-high 25 points against Shore on 1/6/25. Photo by Tom Smith

Prediction:

Doug – Ranney

Nick – Ranney

Guest – Ranney

(15) Neptune at (2) St. John Vianney, 6:30 p.m.

Neptune (11-10) won their first round game over Lacey 44-29. Neptune was able to advance even with their three leading scorers being held to single digits. Seniors Christa Ramos and Bre Evans along with Freshman Tyeera Howard were held to 20 points. Sophomore Lana Ellington led the Scarlet Fliers with 11 points and Majiah Quarles added 10. Neptune went 0-8 against teams ranked in the top ten and will have a large mountain to climb to pull off the upset against SJV.

St. John Vianney (18-5) had a bye in the opening round of the SCT. The Lancers are led by a trio of juniors on the offensive side of the floor. Madison Kocis (11.5 PPG), Stella Lockhart (10.7 PPG) and Taylor Sofilkanich (11.6 PPG) lead the team in scoring. SJV will have a big height advantage with Lockhart and Sofilkanich and the Lancers will try to neutralize Neptune’s speed with their physical play on the defensive end.