NJSIAA Girls Basketball Tournament Preview: The Shore in Non-Public A
NJSIAA Tournament: Non-Public A Playoff Preview
South Jersey Non-Public A
Shore Teams in the Field: No. 1 Red Bank Catholic, No. 2 St. John Vianney, No. 5 Trinity Hall, No. 10 St. Rose, No. 15 Donovan Catholic
Top Seed: Red Bank Catholic
Defending Champion: Paul VI
Favorite: No. 1 Red Bank Catholic. The Caseys sit at 26-2 with just one loss within the state of New Jersey, against a St. John Vianney team that they beat twice including in the Shore Conference Tournament Championship. Their roster features a host of high-end division 1 talent led by Indiana commit Addy Nyemchek. The Caseys have one of the best resumes in the country with wins over a variety of nationally-ranked teams and state-ranked teams. By earning the top seed, Red Bank Catholic enjoys the luxury of only having to go through one of St. John Vianney and Paul VI who are both on the opposite side of the bracket. The Caseys have their eyes on the program’s 11th sectional title.
RBC’s Tessa Liggio (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)
Contender: No. 2 St. John Vianney. The Lancers enter the state playoffs with a 23-3 record, with their only in-state losses coming at the hands of Red Bank Catholic. St. John Vianney has wins over a variety of nationally-ranked and state-ranked teams. Their roster features a host of high-end division 1 talent led by Duke-commit Taylor Sofilkanich, Georgetown-commit Stella Lockhart, and Penn-commit Madison Kocis. The downside to having the two-seed is the Lancers are likely to have to go through both Paul VI and Red Bank Catholic if they wish to come away with their 22nd sectional title.
SJV’s Stella Lockhart (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)
Contender: No. 3 Paul VI. The Eagles enter the state playoffs with a 23-1 record, with their only loss being a 64-56 defeat against Red Bank Catholic. While Paul VI did not play as many out-of-state teams as RBC and SJV, they did defeat a variety of state-ranked teams including Gloucester Catholic, a team that lost just 41-40 against Red Bank Catholic. The Eagles will not be taken lightly after disposing of both St. John Vianney and Red Bank Catholic in back-to-back rounds on their way to a sectional title a year ago. Junior guard Brooke Stagliano (5-foot-6) is the top scorer for the Eagles with over 1,000 career points. Senior guard Rachel Thatcher (5-foot-8) averages over 12 points per game and is committed to Penn. Unlike a year ago where Paul VI was able to face St. John Vianney at home, the Eagles will be forced to travel up to the Shore this year.
Dark Horse: No. 5 Trinity Hall. The Monarchs finished the regular season 19-7 with some impressive showings coupled with some bumps along the way. Trinity Hall defeated a state-ranked team in Lenape and was competitive against another state-ranked team in Rutgers Prep. They also had some disappointing outings against St. John Vianney and Manasquan in games they hoped to be more competitive in. The Monarchs enter the state playoffs coming off one of their best performances of the season after a 69-45 win over Rumson-Fair Haven. Trinity Hall has the most realistic road of to the sectional semifinals amongst teams seeded outside of the top four. They will play Our Lady of Mercy who they defeated 66-25 earlier this season before likely traveling to St. Thomas Aquinas who is ranked number 13 in the state. While winning that game on the road is no easy task, it is a much more preferable matchup than any of the top three seeds who are ranked 1, 2, and 3 in the state. The Monarchs are led by senior forward Grace Feeney, a Bucknell commit.
Grace Feeney finished with 8 points against Manasquan in the Warrior Classic. 1/3/26 Photo by Patrick Olivero
The Shore’s Bracket Breakdown: Red Bank Catholic will be a heavy favorite to reach the sectional final. St. Thomas Aquinas and Trinity Hall are very good teams, but the Caseys have been on a different level and are likely to meet one of St. John Vianney or Paul VI in the sectional final.
St. Rose has a deceiving 7-15 record having played almost exclusively state-ranked and shore-ranked teams. Bishop Eustace has been competitive with some really good teams including Gloucester Catholic and Lenape so it will be no easy task, but the Purple Roses have a shot. Of course, a win would mean traveling to St. John Vianney who St. Rose has not been competitive with in two matchups.
Donovan Catholic drew the short end of the stick having to travel to St. John Vianney in the first round. The Griffins deserve respect for not taking the easy road out by electing to opt-out of the state tournament like many of the lower seeds in some of the other brackets elected to do.
St. John Vianney has the much harder road than Red Bank Catholic with Paul VI looming, but they have proven capable of beating anyone in the state and they will not have to go on the road in any games since the sectional final is at a neutral site.
It is important to note that the NJSIAA has tentatively scheduled the South Jersey Non-Public A Sectional Final at Lenape High School down in South Jersey which is terrible news for Shore Conference fans hoping to see a fourth matchup between Red Bank Catholic and St. John Vianney within a reasonable driving distance.
First Round
(1) Red Bank Catholic- Bye
(9) Princeton Day at (8) Union Catholic
(12) Our Lady of Mercy at (5) Trinity Hall
(13) Immaculata at (4) St. Thomas Aquinas
(11) Notre Dame at (6) Camden Catholic
(14) Mount St. Mary at (3) Paul VI
(10) St. Rose at (7) Bishop Eustace
(15) Donovan Catholic at (2) St. John Vianney
Doug’s Predicted Champion- Red Bank Catholic
Nick’s Predicted Champion- St. John Vianney
