By Matthew Rocco
A whirlwind summer has taken the St. John Vianney High School girls basketball team through Maryland and the local Maroon and White Team Camp. After a week of facing top-ranked schools, the Lancers feel ready for anything heading into the new school year.
The Lancers will be forced to regroup after losing a long list of players from their 2015-16 championship season. Graduated players Kelly Campbell, Kellie Crouch, Tina Lebron, Vanessa Pinho, Gigi Caponegro, Zoe Pero and Megan Furch were part of a team that won the Shore Conference Tournament and a double-overtime thriller over Manasquan High School in the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions. Now, St. John Vianney is working on building chemistry with a different group.
The summer kicked into high gear at the Under Armour Best of Maryland Basketball Tournament, which featured 22 teams from across America — and England. The Lancers went 3-1 in pool play, including a 57-42 win over Ossining (New York) High School, which is coming off its fourth state championship in a row. St. John Vianney advanced to the playoffs, where the team lost in the quarterfinals to Homestead (Indiana) High School, 46-30.
Head coach Dawn Karpell praised her team’s performance in the tournament, especially considering that rising senior Kimi Evans, a big part of the Lancers’ success last season, was playing in another tournament with her AAU team.
“I was happy with our team. The chemistry is starting to build for next season, and it’s fun to play teams from other areas. We played some tough programs from around the country, and we even played a team from England,” Karpell said.
St. John Vianney earned a win over City of London Academy, 43-25.
St. Rose High School, which also played in the tournament, won the whole thing. Last season’s NJSIAA Non-Public B South runner-up went 4-0 in pool play. The Purple Roses knocked out Homestead High School to advance to the championship game, where they beat Wayne (Ohio) High School, 58-44.
Two more Shore Conference teams made the trip to Maryland. Red Bank Catholic High School and Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School competed in the same pool as Wayne and other schools from Ohio, Kentucky and Pennsylvania. The Caseys posted a record of 1-3, while the Bulldogs finished even at 2-2.
All four teams scrambled back to New Jersey for the final day of the Maroon and White showcase at Red Bank Regional High School. The Lancers made the drive after the third and final day in Maryland, arriving home to play on the last day in Red Bank July 29. The eighth annual Maroon and White event included 25 teams from New Jersey and New York, offering another opportunity for the Lancers to accumulate minutes with their new-look roster.
Karpell used the Maroon and White camp to get playing time for St. John Vianney’s younger varsity and junior varsity players. After all, next season’s starters were a bit winded. By the end of their day in the Red Bank Field House, the Lancers had played 26 games over the last three weeks.
“We were so talented and deep last year, but all these kids were on varsity, even if people may not know their names. We still have 10 returning players. We will be able to compete against the top teams in the state. I don’t think that, for us, we’re that far off from those teams. It’s just a matter of our kids getting chemistry. I was very excited to see how we played this summer,” Karpell said.
Both summer showcases had another benefit for St. John Vianney’s players. Dozens of college coaches were in the stands for the Best of Maryland and Maroon and White events, allowing high school athletes to show off their skills as they compete for scholarships. About 130 college coaches were in the stands at the Best of Maryland, and the Lancers played in front of about 25 coaches who watched their two Maroon and White games.
Karpell said the Lancers got some really nice exposure at the NCAA-certified showcases.
“It’s great for them because they can get identified by college coaches early on,” she said.
Two of St. John Vianney’s five seniors are already committed to colleges. Evans has signed up to attend Seton Hall University, and Courtney Dobrzynski is going to Hartford University.
The Lancers also have Julia Ramos, Riley Kehoe and Abby Anderko in their 2016-17 senior class. Also returning next season are rising juniors Madison Doring and Sarah Furch, as well as sophomores Sarah Karpell, Brelynn Bellamy and Sajada Bonner.
The seniors are looking forward to getting back on the court to defend St. John Vianney’s titles.
“This is their team. They were excited to go out this summer and prove themselves as seniors and carry out the tradition that we have,” Karpell said. “I really enjoy working with them. It’s a fun group, and we’re going to work hard.”