Round One: Nyemchek, Liggio dominate second half, lead No. 1 RBC to 62-51 win over No. 2 SJV
HOLMDEL — The rivalry between Red Bank Catholic and St John Vianney runs deep. When you add in the fact that Red Bank Catholic is currently ranked number one in the Shore Sports Insider Top 10 and in the state of New Jersey according to NJ Advance Media, and St. John Vianney is currently ranked number two in the Shore Sports Insider Top 10 and in the state of New Jersey, things get ramped up to an entirely different level. In the first of potentially four matchups this season should the two teams meet in the Shore Conference Tournament and Non-Public A playoffs, it was Red Bank Catholic who came away with 62-51 victory as senior forward Addy Nyemchek scored 17 of her game-high 22 points in the second half, and senior guard Katie Liggio added 13 of her 15 points after halftime.
RBC’s Addy Nyemchek drives to the basket against SJV’s Madison Kocis (Photo by Patrick Olivero)
The first half went back-and-forth, as the Lancers were able to pressure the Caseys into a few early turnovers. Red Bank Catholic called an early timeout and the Caseys immediately settled down and did a much better job of protecting the ball.
“It was just the girls settling into the game,” said Red Bank Catholic head coach Joe Montano. “This is a tough place to play. It’s a lot different watching it on film than coming here and doing it. The girls started getting to their spots and things settled down from there.”
St. John Vianney senior Stella Lockhart, a Georgetown commit, did the early damage for the Lancers, scoring seven of her 10 points in the first half. The Lancers were also able to get the ball into 6-foot-4 senior center Taylor Sofilkanich early, but the Caseys’ frontcourt, including seniors Sophie Smith and Scarlet LaVake, did a great job not allowing Sofilkanich to put the ball in the basket, holding her to one field goal on the evening.
Red Bank Catholic’s Sophie Smith drives to the basket (Photo by Patrick Olivero)
“Smith [a Harvard commit] and LeVake [a New Hampshire commit] did a nice job on Taylor,” said Montano. “I got on Scarlet early for switching. We are used to switching, but you can’t switch off of her [Sofilkanich] because she is so long and tough inside.”
Coming out of halftime with the score tied at 22, Nyemchek, an Indiana commit, scored five straight points to give the Caseys their biggest lead up to that point.
“Addy stayed composed,” said Montano. “I told her they would face guard her and try to trap her. The best part about facing that strategy is that Addy is the best passer in the state, so she was able to find the open teammates.”
With the score tied at 31, it was Katie Liggio’s turn to get hot. Liggio, a Rhode Island commit, buried a deep three from the wing, and followed that up with a straight on three, which gave the Caseys a lead they would never relinquish.
“I told Katie that she needed to score,” said Montano. ‘She knew she would get open looks, and I told her she was going to make them. Coaching in over 1000 games, I’m going to be right every once in a while.”
Liggio echoed her coach’s statement. “Coach told me I needed to score,” said Liggio. “I got open looks, and the shots started falling.”
Red Bank Catholic’s Katie Liggio protects the ball from a defender (Photo by Patrick Olivero)
Nyemchek and Liggio would combine for 15 points in the fourth quarter, but Lancers’ senior Madison Kocis would not let her team go down without a fight. Kocis, a Penn commit, scored nine of her 17 points in the fourth quarter, including three deep triples. Kocis’ first three, which made the score 47-41, was her 1000th career point. After a Nyemchek layup, Kocis buried another three, cutting the Caseys’ lead to 49-44, but that was as close as St. John Vianney would get before Red Bank Catholic closed out the game.
“Kocis showed a lot of greatness in the fourth keeping them in the game,” said Montano.
St. John Vianney’s Madison Kocis is honored after scoring her 1000th career point (Photo by Patrick Olivero)
“RBC vs SJV, playing in this gym or at RBC, you know what you are in for,” said Montano. “It’s great for the sport, it’s great for the girls. Give a lot of credit to both schools for being in this position.”
Red Bank Catholic moves to 7-1 on the season, and 1-0 in Class A North. The Caseys will take on another division rival, St Rose, on Thursday, January 8th in Belmar.
St. John Vianney lost their first game of the season, and falls to 6-1, 0-1 in Class A North. The Lancers will take on another division opponent in Rumson Fair-Haven at home on Thursday, January 10th.
Round two of the rivalry will take place at Red Bank Catholic on January 22nd.
