The No. 1 overall seed, the Red Bank Catholic High School girls’ basketball team, started off the NJSIAA South Jersey, Non-Public A Tournament with a bang on March 6 in Red Bank.
Red Bank Catholic opened the state tournament when it costed to a 67-31 victory over the No. 9 seed, Notre Dame High School.
Junior Sophia Sabino and sophomore Ally Carman led the way for the Caseys, each scoring a game-high 17 points in the victory.
Sabino caught fire in the second quarter to help the Caseys outscore Notre Dame, 22-6, and take a 33-14 lead into halftime.
The junior fired home 13 points in the period and racked up 15 total in the first half.
Sophomore Justine Pissott was money from downtown in the victory for the Caseys, when she produced four shots from behind the arc and finished with 16 points on the night.
Red Bank Catholic recorded eight three-pointers in the victory.
Senior Erika Porter led Notre Dame with a team-high 14 points in the contest.
Red Bank Catholic is now 14-0 this season when it holds its opponent to 40 points or fewer.
“We have to play defense and rebound the ball,” said Red Bank coach Joseph Montano. “We just have to go back to being focused on those things. I thought we were much more focused and more competitive against (Notre Dame).”
It’s the first time in two years that Red Bank Catholic has reached the sectional semifinals.
The Caseys will be the host to its Shore Conference A-Central Division foe, Saint Rose High School, in the state semifinals on March 9.
Follow Steven Bassin on Twitter @SBassin_Sports
