By Rich Chrampanis
HOLMDEL – At Saint John Vianney, the gym is filled with banners for some of the all-time great teams in every varsity sport. For the Lady Lancers girls basketball team, the Tour- nament of Champions title earns a large banner with every name on the roster holding a place in the rich history of one of the country’s best programs. The last banner came in 2016 – until last Saturday morning when the 2020 Lancers received theirs. While not a T of C banner – the tournament was canceled due to the COVID pandemic – this resilient group is more than worthy of having its place in SJV history.
With everyone on the 28-1 team from last season back, the 2021 Lancers are making the most of a limited schedule and are turning heads with a dominant week of basketball. From Feb. 13 to Feb. 20 coach Dawn Karpell’s team scored wins over No. 3 Saddle River Day (63-53), sixth ranked Paul VI (63- 53), and No. 5 Red Bank Catholic with a dominating 63-32 final.
The Lancers (8-0) busted open a 26-19 halftime lead with a devastating 22-5 third quarter to hand the shorthanded Caseys their first loss of the season. RBC (5-1) was on a COVID shutdown from Feb. 5 to Feb. 16 and did not have junior Justine Pissott who’s expected to return at the end of the month in time for the eight-team Shore Conference tournament.
SJV utilized its depth, putting 14 different players on the floor, headlined by junior Madison St. Rose who continues to be one of the most dynamic scorers in New Jersey. St. Rose led the way with 18 points and University of Richmond commit Katie Hill added 12. Meg Cahalan and Emma Bruen added 10 points apiece. Cahalan has emerged as an elite presence in the paint and Bruen has earned the reputation as one of the best lockdown defenders in the Garden State.
Heading into the final week of the shortened season, it’s expected that Saint John Vianney and RBC will be the Top 2 seeds in the three-round playoffs. Before that, both state powers will get one more high quality tune-up. This Saturday, RBC will take on Manchester Township, featuring University of North Carolina commit Destiny Adams. Saint John Vianney tangles with the No. 2 team in New Jersey, Trenton Catholic, this Friday night in Holmdel. There are no state playoffs but a win over TCA would cement coach Dawn Karpell’s team as the undisputed top team in the state and a likely Top 10 national ranking to close out 2021.
The Lancers took the negative of missing out on two state titles and have maximized the parameters of a shortened slate. This current Lancers team has 43-1 in its sights over a two-season span and, while it officially won’t have back-to-back state titles, its legacy will be cemented as one of the very best in the history of SJV girls basketball.
This article originally appeared in the Feb. 25, 2021 print edition of The Two River Times.
