Brookdale Community College’s women’s basketball team went 1-2 at the National Junior College Athletic Association’s National Championships to finish in seventh place.
The Jersey Blues, making their first-ever trip to the nationals, held this year in Corning, N.Y., from Thursday through Saturday, proved that they match up well with the country’s best Division III programs.
Brookdale opened play on Thursday night against the No. 2 seed Joliet (Ill.) Wolves. The seventh-seeded Blues gave the Wolves all they wanted and more before falling, 79-76.
Guard Becky Piper (Colts Neck) led the Blues with 21 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals. Forward Amy Gaudious (Long Branch) had 19 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Danielle Vitalone (Middletown South), a guard, also scored 19 points, connecting on five three-pointers. Forward Tammy Wood (South River) chipped in with eight points, 12 rebounds and seven blocked shots.
Montgomery College-Rockville (Md.) was the only team that handled the Blues, jumping out to a 37-22 lead at the half and rolling from there to an 86-58 win on Friday.
Marissa Richardson lit the Blues up for 32 points.
Vitalone had 13 points and 10 rebounds and Gaudious, 10 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. Ashley Healy (Howell) had 11 points and eight rebounds.
In the seventh/eighth place consolation game, the Blues scored their lone victory, a 69-68 win over Bunker Hill (Mass.)
Three-point shooting was the difference in this one as the Blues connected on 10-of-22. Piper and Vitalone each knocked down four, while Gaudious stepped away from the paint to make two.
Piper led the Blues with 25 points and four assists. Gaudious had a double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds, while Vitalone netted 14 and had six rebounds.
Anoka-Ramsey (Minn.) lived up to its No. 1 seed beating Monroe College (N.Y.), 64-60, in the championship game Saturday night.
Piper averaged 18.3 points a game for the tournament. Gaudious average a double-double, 15 points and 11 rebounds. Vitalone averaged 15.3 points a game.
The Jersey Blues finished the season with a 21-11 record. They won the Garden State Conference championship for the second straight year and captured their first Region XIX tournament crown.
— Tim Morris