Late-game steals seal RBC's win over Rumson
Defense dominates in 34-31 triumph
BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer

Above Rumson's Paige Armstrong dives for the loose ball in front of RBC's Jenna Strich during the SCT championship game in Toms River on Feb. 22. At right, Armstrong again hits the floor, though this time RBC's Kathryn Fox is in the mix. Below, the Casey players celebrate their second straight conference title.

In keeping with the topsy-turvy world that is Shore Conference girls basketball this winter, Red Bank Catholic and Rumson-Fair Haven proved that very little separates the best teams.

Three teams (RBC, Rumson and Neptune) have taken their turn as the top team in the Shore during the season, and a fourth, St. John Vianney, threw its hat into the ring by beating two of them.

When the Shore Conference Tournament began, George Sourlis' Rumson Bulldogs were seeded No. 1, but no one knew for sure which two teams would be playing for the championship on Feb. 22 in the Ritacco Center in Toms River.

The Big Four - Rumson, RBC, Neptune and SJV - all got through to the semifinals, where Rumson and RBC won decisively (Rumson, 57-32, over Neptune and RBC, 60-33, over SJV) setting up a dream final. There was very little to choose from, since the teams had split their two regular-season games.

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No one expected one team to run away from the other, and they were not disappointed. The game came down to the final possession, with Joe Montano's Caseys eking out a 34-31 victory, their second straight SCT title.

The difference between the two teams was minimal: it came down to doing the little things well, according to Montano, and that was the Caseys, who came up with the defining plays of the game.

Those plays came on the defensive end, where a pair of steals, one by Jenna Strich and the other by Kristina Danella, made the difference.

After RBC had taken control of the game with its defense in the third quarter, holding Rumson to just two points, Kate Miller rediscovered her shooting eye and pulled the Bulldogs to within a point at 32-31 with 1:50 remaining.

Rumson's defensive pressure forced a turnover, and with 1:11 left in the game, Rumson had the ball with the chance to take the lead. They wouldn't get it, as Strich interfered with those plays, getting her hands on a bounce pass to the baseline and coming up with a steal.

She threw the ball ahead to Kristina Coppolino, who was fouled going to the basket with 42.1 seconds remaining. She would made both free throws to extend the lead to three.

"It was just instinct," Strich said of her steal. "You do what you have to do to win."

After the teams exchanged misses (Rumson from the field and RBC from the line), the Bulldogs had the ball with 10 seconds left, down by three, with one last chance to tie the game. On the inbounds play, Danella saw a screen developing to free a shooter at the top of the key. She stepped in front of the pass and stole it, and with it, the game.

As expected from two teams that take pride in their defense, points were not easy to come by, especially for the Bulldogs in the second half.

In the first half, the Bulldogs were finding seams in the Casey defense. After beating their defenders off the dribble, Kate Miller and Candice Green were either getting open looks at the basket or finding teammates under the basket for high-percentage shots in the paint. Miller put up 10 points as the Bulldogs were one step ahead of the Caseys, who found themselves trailing 21-11 late in the second quarter.

RBC did score the last four points of the half on baskets by Kathryn Fox and Mia DePaolo, to make their job in the second half a little easier, trailing by only six, 21-15.

In the second, the Caseys were a different team. Those seams the Bulldogs had found were sewn up. As a result, the Bulldogs would only get one basket in the third quarter.

"We tightened things up a lot," said Danella. "In the second half our defense was great."

An 11-2 edge in the third quarter put the defending champions on top for the first time since early in the first quarter, 26-23. A three-pointer by Danella kicked off a 9-0 run that went into the fourth quarter, opening up a 28-23 RBC lead.

Defensive pressure was even more intense in the fourth quarter. Rumson held up its end, and when Miller starting finding her range again, the Bulldogs pulled within one at 30-29 on her left-handed driving layup. Coppolino responded with a pair of free throws that made it 32-29, setting the stage for the defensive heroics of Strich and Danella in the final minute.

Coppolino led the Caseys (22-3) with 11 points, while Miller had a game-high 16 for the Bulldogs (22-4).

At halftime, Montano told his team that he didn't mind the fact that they were losing, what he wasn't pleased with was their effort, especially on the defensive end.

"I told the girls I didn't want us to go out not giving our best effort," he said. "They went out and laid in on the line."

Why have the Caseys been able to win back-to-back straight SCT crowns?

"We play as a team," said Strich. "We don't care who scores."

The familiarity that RBC and Rumson have with each other has bred the furthest thing from contempt: admiration.

"We know each other so well," said Danella. "We have so much respect for them."