By Rich Chrampanis
TOMS RIVER – Six state champions were crowned on the girls side at Pine Belt Arena in Toms River and those six winners are set for the Tournament of Champions. Saint John Vianney has earned the top seed and will take back to the court at Pine Belt Arena on Friday night against the winner of Old Tappan and Lenape. The Lady Lancers are two wins away from achieving their ultimate goal of being the top team in New Jersey.
Tournament of Champions
Girls Seeds
- Saint John Vianney (Non-Public A)
- Rutgers Prep (Non-Public B)
- Manasquan (Group 2)
- Lenape (Group 4)
- Old Tappan (Group 3)
- University (Group 1)
In four playoff games, Saint John Vianney decimated the Non-Public A field with stifling defense. Giving up a mere 30.5 points per game against top competition, SJV cruised to its second consecutive state crown. Dawn Karpells 29-1 team has so many outstanding attributes, but at the top of the list has to be the Lady Lancers depth. Saint John Vianney can roll out what seems like an endless bench of players who don’t care about individual accolades. Kelly Campbell from her point guard spot and Kimi Evans in the paint are clearly the top two scoring options for Saint John Vianney, but there are so many players who are capable of stepping up and adding even more offense. Six players on the 2015-16 roster have scored over 100 points this season and two more have 80 total points. In the state final win over IHA, Zoe Pero stepped up with 12 points and Vanessa Pinho added 8.
The inside game got me involved a lot, Zoe Pero said about her effort in the state finals. They’re so focused on Kimi (Evans) inside that when I was getting kick outs outside that’s what really opened up my offensive game a lot.
Pinho credits Campbell for breeding confidence to everyone on the floor. Having Kelly Campbell as your point guard is an amazing thing, the senior guard said about the future DePaul Blue Demon. Whether it’s at practice or in a game, she always finds you somewhere on the court and to have the confidence – she passes you the ball and she tells you to hit it. Once you hear her say that, it’s an amazing feeling and you know you have that confidence; I’m going to hit this, Kelly found me and I’m going to do it.
As the best of the best duke it out to claim the T of C title, a scouting of report of Saint John Vianney may be best described with a hockey analogy. On the ice, coaches roll out lines of three forwards and two defenseman throughout a game. The Lady Lancers have a top line of Campbell/Evans/Lebron with Gigi Caponegro and Vanessa Pinho as defenseman. Much like a hockey coach, Dawn Karpell has masterfully rotated in fresh bodies throughout the 32 minutes. Just when a team thinks they are making progress, here comes Zoe Pero, Julia Ramos and Sarah Karpell. And there’s even more reserves after that.
With a senior laden roster committed to defense and selfless play, Saint John Vianney currently is ranked 10th in the USA Today Super 25 national poll. They are two games away from achieving their ultimate goal.
“We still have unfinished business”, Pero said. We all want to get to the finals and be the number one team in New Jersey.
