By Rich Chrampanis
HOLMDEL – Janie Bachmann had to look at the scoreboard twice during her post-game interview to make sure it wasn’t a dream.
“It really hasn’t set in that we just beat the No. 1 team in the country… by 11,” Bachmann said. “It’s insane.”
The Saint John Vianney’s girls basketball team has checked off just about every box on the court. Now it can say it has beaten the No. 1 team in the country after a 59-48 win over Long Island Lutheran in Holmdel Jan. 13. LuHi currently has the top spot in both the ESPN and MaxPreps national polls.
SJV senior guard Zoe Brooks cemented her reputation as one of the best players in the country after a 30-point, five-rebound, five-assist performance against a LuHi team that won the prestigious Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix, vaulting it to the top spot in the nation.
“It was fun, I expected that,” Brooks said. “I knew we were going to win the whole time. Our whole school came out and supported us. I think that’s why we played so well.”
Since a defeat by Saint Rose in 2019, the Lancers have not lost to a team in New Jersey; of their two losses in the last three years, one came at the hands of Long Island Lutheran and one came last year against Sidwell Friends of Washington, D.C., the team that finished No. 1 in the country. Saint John Vianney finished the 2021-22 season ranked fourth in the nation.
The Lancers raced out to an early 9-3 lead before the Crusaders took a 22-18 lead at the end of the first quarter. From there, Saint John Vianney’s relentless defense kicked in and slowed down the pace of the game considerably. LuHi had a 26-22 lead at the half before SJV opened the second half with a 9-0 run. Once again, the nation’s top ranked team put together a run to end the third quarter with a 39-36 lead.
Julia Karpell sank a 3-pointer to tie the game to start the fourth and Ashley Sofilkanich hit a jumper at the top of the key to give SJV a lead they would never surrender. Brooks consistently got to the basket with her elite ball-handling skills and either converted a drive, hit a mid-range jumper or ended up on the free throw line.
SJV forced LuHi into fouling late in the game by retaining the lead; it was Brooks and Karpell who put the game away at the charity stripe. Karpell (12 points) and Brooks went a combined 15-19 from the free throw line which ultimately gave the Lancers the comfortable margin of victory. But you have to look beyond the box score to recognize the contributions made by the SJV roster: Bre Delaney slowed down the guard play of Long Island Lutheran; Bachmann and Sofilkanich did a tremendous job in the paint containing Kate Koval, a 6-foot-5 junior who’s considered one of the top forwards nationally in the class of 2024.
“When you come to Vianney you know that it’s a very role-oriented school,” Bachmann said. “You’re not always going to be a 1,000-point scorer. It’s about how you dig deep defensively and how you use that to the best of your advantage to win games like this.”
The other victory on this historic night was for the growth of the sport. It’s a common sight to see crowds pack the gym for great Shore Conference boys basketball rivalries, with student sections dressing the same and crowds roaring at every big play. It was no different when the top girls team in the country came to Holmdel – the Saint John Vianney’s student body filled the student section, meaning there was a full gym on hand to witness the upset. Clearly, the Lady Lancers were energized by having a true homecourt advantage.
“I think this was the best crowd we’ve ever seen for girls basketball,” Sofilkanich said. “Our fans were awesome. They really contributed to the win. They’re part of the reason we won.”
If there were any questions that Saint John Vianney might have a letdown after a monumental win, look no further than its next game at the Hoop Hall Classic in Springfield, Massachusetts. There SJV scored a 43-point win over one of the top ranked teams in Connecticut.
Coach Dawn Karpell’s team doesn’t have a Tournament of Champions to look forward to, but a state championship this March will cement her team as one of the best in America for a second straight year. In the short term, she appreciates a Friday night that saw her team do everything right to secure one of the all-time great moments in New Jersey girls basketball history.
“I mean post-COVID it was great to have people in the building like this,” Karpell said. “To have the No. 1 team in the country come to our gym and to see it through is just an amazing night and an amazing experience for the girls that they’ll never forget.”
The article originally appeared in the January 19 – 25, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
