Lancers enjoy reversal of fortunes against RBC
SJV girls upset unbeaten Caseys for Parochial
South A title
By doug mckenzie
Staff Writer

Last year when the St. John Vianney girls’ basketball team entered the Parochial South A tournament, they were the team to beat.

Fresh off a Shore Conference Tournament win over top-ranked Marlboro, the Holmdel Lady Lancers were flying high, with visions of a trip to the Tournament of Champions fresh on their minds. And then they got upset by a scrappy Red Bank Catholic team in the sectional final, and the Lancers ended their season shocked and disappointed.

On Tuesday night they got their redemption. In a somewhat eerie reversal of roles, it was the Lancers who won the Parochial A championship, knocking off a Red Bank Catholic team, 47-32, that was fresh off an SCT win over Marlboro, and was certainly the team to beat entering the postseason. RBC was undefeated coming in (25-0), and had beaten SJV by 14 points about two weeks prior in the SCT semifinals, and in overtime earlier in the season.

The Lancers played a game of strategy on Tuesday, controlling the tempo of the game while concentrating their defense effort on preventing easy buckets. They were practically daring the Caseys to beat them from the outside, and it worked to perfection as RBC struggled with its shooting, while the Lancers executed efficiently on the offensive end.

"We didn’t chase them," head coach Bob Ward said. "We stayed in the paint, and told everybody to make them beat us from the outside."

The strategy worked, as the Lancers stayed with the deep Caseys through the first quarter and eventually took the lead for good with just over six minutes remaining in the first half on a Courtney Calderon jumper from the key.

Once in the lead, the Lancers dominated play, getting points from a number of players, while the Caseys continued to struggle. Calderon finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds, while sophomore Shantel Brown was the high scorer for the Lancers with 15. Senior point guard Jamie Komar chipped in with 12 points and was a clutch foul-shooter down the stretch, going six-for-six in the fourth quarter.

"We were hoping history [would] repeat itself," Ward said. "We were looking to control the tempo, and my feeling was that the team that controlled the glass would win the game."

Just a year ago, it was the Lancers who were dealing with a heartbreaking loss in a game they felt was theirs. This time around, the shoe is on the other foot, and it is the Caseys who are left shaking their heads at what might have been. St. John Vianney sure picked an opportune time to play its best game of the year.

With the win, the Lancers advanced to Saturday’s Parochial A final at the Dunn Sports Center in Elizabeth, where they will face the winner of tonight’s Immaculate Heart-Immaculata game. Both teams are ranked in the state’s top 20, with Immaculate Heart the higher seed.

A game against either of the two will be quite a challenge for the Lancers, but as they proved against the No. 2-ranked Caseys on Tuesday, they are capable of playing with anyone.

A stellar defensive effort helped the St. John Vianney team battle its way to the finals of the NJSIAA Parochial A South tournament.

The Lancers downed Camden Catholic 55-40 on Saturday in the Parochial A South semifinal to set up the meeting with Red Bank Catholic for the crown.

Down 19-10 at the end of the first quarter, Ward asked his Lancers to redouble their defensive efforts, and by the half, SJV was on top 28-24, a lead the Lancers would not relinquish.

Komar, playing in her final home game, was all over the court, scoring 16 points and, perhaps more important, playing in-your-face defense. Brown was the Lancers’ top scorer with 17 points, while the freshman Calderone provided 13 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks.

"Jaime [Komar] really stepped up defensively, and the entire team picked up from her," Ward said. "The girls wanted this game and they weren’t going to let it get away. Once they took control, they wouldn’t let Camden Catholic back in. It was great for our seniors [Komar and Shannon Coyle] to win their last game at home."