Monday Girls’ Holiday Tournament Roundup: Busy day with Friday/Saturday reskeds; Colonia, Bernards, South Amboy stay unbeaten; Rutgers Prep takes first loss to No. 1 Red Bank Catholic

It was quite a busy Monday in high school basketball, with many of the games that got postponed late Friday and Saturday due to the winter storm shifted to Monday, on top of an already crowded slate of games.

Among the highlights was a state top five clash down in Toms River, where state-ranked No. 4 Rutgers Prep lost to No. 1 Red Bank Catholic, 59-42. It was the first loss of the season for Rutgers Prep, which led 28-22 at halftime in a game that had a playoff-like atmosphere.

But the Caseys stormed ahead on the strength of a 19-8 third quarter, and won going away, 59-42.

Addy Nyemcheck was instrumental in RBC’s rally. She had ten at the break, but finished with 25, including 11 in the third quarter as the Caseys pulled ahead.

Hailey Benbow lead Rutgers Prep with a dozen, while Ava Frith added 11 for the Lady Argonauts, who are ranked No. 1 in the latest Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten.

Vin Ebenau contributed to this report.

Here are the rest of the results from Monday’s action:

Crusader Classic at Bound Brook HS
Consolation Game: Columbia 50, Oak Knoll 32
Championship Game: Union Catholic 62, Bound Brook 51

The Lady Crusaders (4-1) took their first loss of the season, despite a 21-point night from freshman Peytan Pugh. Senior Ti’asjah Ferguson added 11; both scored in double figures of both games of the tournament.

Gene Haley/Jim Muldowney Memorial Holiday Classic at Edison HS
Woodbridge 70, Edison 54
Spotswood 53, North Plainfield 39

In the opener, the Barrons (4-1) got 16 points apiece from Layla Mercado and Angel Smith, as well as another 13 from Laila Stanford in the win over the host Eagles (0-6). In the second game, Spotswood (3-1) took a 15-7 lead early, and a 32-19 lead at the half and didn’t look back, getting 17 from Gabrielle Hill – including three triples – and 16 from Nina Fama. Layla Gutierrez had 15 for North Plainfield (1-3) in the losing effort.

Round robin play continues tomorrow, as Edison plays North Plainfield at 10 am, and Spotswood and Woodbridge meet at 11:30 in the “de facto” title game, a matchup of the two winners.

Ridge Holiday Classic at Ridge HS, Basking Ridge
Consolation Game: Randolph 44, South Brunswick 30
Championship Game: Ridge 58, North Hunterdon 34

The Vikings (0-5) hung in there in the first half, trailing 11-10 after one quarter, and 19-8 at the break, but Randolph went on a 16-3 third quarter run to take control. Madison Rorie led South Brunswick in defeat with 20 points, including four from beyond the arc.

Meanwhile, host Ridge (3-2) got a double-double from Maggie Kiessling – 17 points and 15 rebounds – as they won all four quarters of the game. Sophia Atia also added 17 – and a pair of treys – for the Red Devils, who avenged a 35-33 loss to the Lions in the championship game of last year’s event.

Cougar Holiday Classic at Montgomery HS
Montgomery 45, Delaware Valley 25
Watchung Hills 74, Belvidere 45

The Cougars (3-1) led virtually wire-to-wire, led by a double-double out of Alia Johnson – 15 points and 11 rebounds – and another 13 from Aliza Schulberg. Abby Schwartz also had 11 rebounds to go along with five points.

Watchung Hills (2-2) got a double-double out of Riley Hall in the win, leading the way both with 18 points and ten rebounds, while Alysha Yang added 16 points – nine on treys – and Eleni Esposito chipped in 13.

The round-robin event continues Tuesday, with Belvidere and Delaware Valley playing at 1 pm, while host Montgomery and Watchung Hills will play at 2:30.

Roselle Holiday Hoopfest at Roselle Park HS
Linden 60, Carteret 38
Roselle Park 69, Perth Amboy 36

It was another big night for one of the top scorers, if not the top scorer, in the state, as Roselle Park senior Sidney Smith pumped in a season high 45 points – her third time scoring 40-plus in five games this season – to up her average to 34.4 points per game. She also hit six treys in the game, which Amboy (2-2) trailed 35-14 at the half. Izabella Pardo scored 23 in defeat for the Panthers.

Meanwhile, the Ramblers (4-2) were done in by a 20-6 second quarter at the hands of Linden, and lost their second straight game after a 4-0 start. Nadia Momoh had 16 for Carteret in the loss.

Carteret and Perth Amboy will meet at 11 am Tuesday in an all-GMC Consolation Game, while the Championship at 2 pm will feature UCC schools Roselle Park and Linden.

Artie Flaherty Holiday Tournament at Metuchen HS
Bernards 49, Brearley 34
Metuchen 36, Governor Livingston 34

Bernards (4-0) remained undefeated, getting double-digit scoring from three different players. Maddie Frame led the Mountaineers with 15 points an two tryes, while Jane Freisen and Aletha Reynolds each scored 13.

Host Metuchen (3-1) got a game-high 15 from Victoria Zaniecki, who’s now just 46 points away from 1,000 for her career. The Lady Bulldogs trailed 24-14 at the break, bot got back into it on the strength of a 10-1 third quarter.

The tournament continues Tuesday, with Brearley and Governor Livingston in the 12:30 pm Consolation game, while Metuchen and Bernards will play for the championship at 2:00.

Middlesex/Shore Holiday Tournament at Henry Hudson HS
Keansburg 45, South River 31
South Amboy 40, Henry Hudson 22

South River (4-1) was held scoreless in the first quarter, down 13-0 after the first eight minutes, but got back in the game and trailed by just four at halftime, 18-14. Gabriella Castelhano led the Lady Rams with 15 points, all coming from beyond the arc, as the team hit seven treys.

The Governors (6-0) got a game-high 16 from Valerie Figueroa, while Gabby Evanski added 14, including three treys. South Amboy held Henry Hudson scoreless in a 10-0 fourth quarter.

Tuesday’s consolation game will feature South River and Henry Hudson, with South Amboy and Keansburg battling in the Championship Game.

Sayreville Holiday Showcase at Sayreville HS
Freehold Boro 55, Rahway 38
Sayreville 48, Monmouth 30

The Bombers (4-1) got a a double-double from Natalia Glazewski – a game-high 20 points and 13 rebounds – as well as 13 points and nine boards from her twin sister, Weronika Glazewski, and will advance to Wednesday’s 11:30 am championship game against Freehold Boro (2-2). The Consolation Game will be at 10 am between Rahway and Monmouth.

Dayton Holiday Tournament at Dayton HS, Springfield
Morristown-Beard 48, South Plainfield 40

The Tigers got 14 points from Giselle Lennon, and a double-double from MaKenzie Harris – 10 points, 11 rebounds – en route to evening their record at 2-2. They’ll play host Dayton Tuesday in the Championship Game at 2:30 pm. There’s no consolation game, as Roselle dropped out with Saturday’s games being rescheduled.

MCMS Holiday Tournament at East Brunswick Magnet School
Consolation Round: East Brunswick Magnet 31, Woodbridge Magnet 6
Semifinal Round: Piscataway Magnet 39, New Brunswick 31

West Windsor-Plainsboro South Holiday Tournament at WWPS
West Windsor-Plainsboro South 37, Northern Burlington 28
West Windsor-Plainsboro North 39, JFK 17

Millburn Holiday Tournament at Millburn HS
Millburn 62, North Bergen 51
Union 43, Old Bridge 36

Old Bridge (1-3) got ten points from Payton Kmiec in the loss, and will face North Bergen (1-4) in the 10:30 am Consolation Game on Tuesday, while Millburn and Union will square off in the noon Championship Game.

Pete Tierney Holiday Basketball Tournament at Summit HS
Summit 43, Bridgewater-Raritan 26
Johnson 61, Morris Knolls 19

The Lady Panthers fell behind big early, 10-3 after one quarter – as they fell to 2-2. Bridgewater-Raritan will face Morris Knolls (1-4) in the 10 am Consolation Game, while host Summit at Johnson will play the Championship at 1.

Ravens Winter Classic at Robbinsville HS
Hamilton West 38, Robbinsville 37 (OT)
Allentown 59, North Brunswick 27

The Raiders will play in the Consolation Game Tuesday at 12 pm against host Robbinsville (1-3), while Hamilton West and Allentown will play for the Championship at 1:30.

Charlie Dolan Holiday Tournament at Kearny HS
Colonia 52, Montclair 46
Kearny 49, Passaic Tech 39

Colonia got a double-double from Nasaleah Hooker – 13 points and 12 rebounds – as the Patriots stayed unbeaten at 5-0 on the season. Ariana Sosa just missed a double-double, finishing one rebound shy, with 12 points and nine boards, and Colonia finished with 11 blocks, and a 35-24 rebounding advantage. They’ll get Kearney in the Championship Game Tuesday at 1 pm, with the Consolation Game between Montclair and Passaic Tech at 9 am.

Coaches Choice Holiday Classic at FDU-Madison
St. Mary’s-Manhasset (NY) 63, St. Thomas Aquinas 50

Jordan Barnes scored 16 points in the loss, while Trista Whitney added 11, and Leah Kearney had a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds. She’s had a double-double in four straight games, and all but one of the Trojans’ eight played so far.