Caseys look to continue last season’s perfection Return eight of nine top players from championship squad

Staff Writer

By Doug mckenzie

Caseys look to continue last season’s perfection
Return eight of nine top players from
championship squad

For the Red Bank Catholic girls basketball team, last year is certainly a tough act to follow.

The Caseys finished the year at 31-0 and beat Toms River North in the Tournament of Champions final to become the first Shore Conference team to go undefeated en route to winning the TOC.

Along the way, they beat their biggest rival, St. John Vianney of Holmdel, twice, and dominated the rest of the Shore Conference in what was one of the most impressive runs in recent history.

And when the season was over, they looked back at their accomplishment with a sense of awe, recognizing their success as a result of their hard work and dedication to the sport.

But that was last year, and many of the Caseys’ opponents will be improved this time around, as a slew of the Shore’s top players return to their respective teams for another season, and another shot at RBC.

But make no mistake about it — the Caseys are still the team to beat. Because the same girls who won the TOC title last year are back to do it all over again.

For Coach Joe Montano, now in his 11th season at the helm, this season presents an enormous challenge. Not only do the Caseys return eight of their nine top players from last year, but they face expectations as high as they come. The girls from RBC are expected to repeat as TOC champs, and go into every game knowing that it would make a team’s season to knock them off.

"After last season, which was such a great success, our expectations are obviously very high," Montano said. "But we know it won’t be easy because we have a number of very good teams on our schedule."

Because the Caseys face such a long season with so many obstacles throughout the schedule, Montano has set some goals for his team to reach along the way.

"First, we want to win our Christmas tournament," he said. "From there, we’ll aim at our division, and eventually we’ll set our sights on the TOC. But we have to get back there first."

Montano has circled five games on the Caseys’ regular season schedule against four teams which he believes are some of the best in the area.

The first test will come on Jan. 12 when the Caseys host a St. John Vianney squad coming off its worst season in 12 years (19-6). The Lancers return several of their top players, and will once again be coached by Nick Russo, who had tremendous success at the helm for Vianney before taking a two-year hiatus to raise his family.

With Russo back in charge, St. John will be looking to re-establish itself as the top girls’ basketball program in the state. And with the two losses to RBC last year still fresh in their minds, the Lancers are a very dangerous threat to RBC’s goal at a division title.

"We thought they were pretty darn good last year," Montano said. "We were fortunate enough to beat them twice, but it was tough both times. They’ve had the premier program in the state for the last 10 years at least, so you know they’re always going to be tough."

Following the Vianney game, the Caseys will travel to Ocean and host Long Branch, whom they beat on Friday 78-27, before their second big test of the year, a Jan. 20 game against New York City’s Christ the King at the Asbury Park Convention Center. Christ the King is the top girls’ team in the city this year and has earned a 12th-place ranking in the nation, according to a USA Today’s coaches’ poll.

From there, the Caseys will gear up for their next highly anticipated matchup with West Morris-Mendham, whom Montano said may be the next best team in the state. That game is scheduled for Jan. 26 at the Dunn Center.

The Caseys will see St. John Vianney for the second time on Feb. 4 at Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, and will wrap up their regular season against Rumson on Feb. 13.

Montano said that Rumson will also be a dangerous team this year, and expects them to be ranked in the Top 10 in the state before year’s end.

If the Caseys are to return to last season’s form, they will rely heavily on the play of seniors Jessica DePalo and Brooke Tomovich. DePalo is a 6-foot forward/center who led the Caseys in scoring (14.7 ppg) and rebounding (11.3) in their drive to the state title. She has become a dominating low-post presence, and will likely be the center of attention for most of RBC’s opponents this year. As the MVP of the TOC last year, DePalo scored 15 points and grabbed 17 boards in the final against Toms River North.

Tomovich, a 6-2 forward/center, is equally dangerous with the basketball, with one of the prettier jumpshots in the state. Her ability to score from the perimeter allows the Caseys to open up their offensive game, attacking the basket from any number of angles. The 1-2 punch of DePalo and Tomovich will be tough to stop because of their size and athletic ability.

Kelli Talbot, a 5-8 senior forward, will also be a force under the basket, giving the Caseys a big frontcourt, which will likely control the boards against most opponents.

In the backcourt, seniors Lynne Zoltowski (5-7) and Janine Cappadona (5-7) will look to distribute the ball, while picking apart opposing defenses with their above-average shooting skills.

Other players who make up the Casey backcourt include junior guards Lindsey Woodfield and Andrea Kacprowicz, as well as sophomores Alisa Kresge and Dani Storz.

The frontcourt players off the bench include junior Michelle Pires and sophomore Erin Cusmano.

Montano will also look to get some playing time for newcomers Beth DePalo, a sophomore forward who is already 5-10; freshman forward Lisa Kuchinksi; and freshman guards Heather Westrol and Flavia Souza.

In Friday night’s season opener against Long Branch, Tomovich led the way with 21 points, while DePalo added 11 and Talbot, 10. The Caseys hope to have a balanced scoring attack throughout the year so as to prohibit teams from focusing on any one player.

But Montano and his Caseys know that they will likely face a number of unforeseen challenges along the way, and look to have some of the same good fortune that enabled them to roll through last year undefeated.

"Any time you go all the way, you have to have some degree of luck in your favor," he said. "A lot of times injuries can short-circuit you in a hurry. Doing what we did last year takes a lot more than just being good."

Montano added that although his team has championship aspirations, they’re remaining focused for each and every game.

"The season will not be a disappointment with anything short of another title, but it certainly is one of our goals," he said.