Sports
Lady Caseys End Skid with Conference Win
In the first game of an afternoon boys/girls basketball double-header at Red Bank Catholic, the Lady Caseys won a convincing victory in a game much closer than the final score indicated.
After two straight losses against state powers Neptune and St. John Vianney, Red Bank Catholic fought through a tough third quarter to beat Shore Conference power and hometown rival Rumson Fair-Haven 46-33 Saturday.
Better ball handling and a stronger passing game proved the difference as Red Bank Catholic opened up the game in the fourth quarter.
Red Bank Catholic won as a team with junior guard Morgan Arnott and freshman guard Grace Fallon each contributing eight points. Senior Center Sam Guastella led the team with 14, while sophomore guard Alex Alfano put in five and senior guard Mary Kate Byrnes sank two.
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Senior Guard Kasey Hobbie, coming off a tough night against Neptune, contributed nine points, including a critical 3-pointer late in the game that finally chased the third quarter demons Red Bank Catholic has been experiencing all year.
Hobbie had been searching for a look all night and had been cold the last couple of games. Her three pointers not falling as cleanly as they had earlier in the season.
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“I kept telling her she’d get a look,” Red Bank Catholic Coach Joe Montano said after the game. “(That was a) “]big three going into the fourth quarter. We didn’t get a lot of good looks all night and Hobbie came through when needed.”
“That was huge,” Montano finished.
Freshman Grace Fallon sunk a 3-pointer early in the game to widen Red Bank Catholic’s lead to 15-8. She also teamed up with Guastella throughout the game to move the ball inside, including a great play to the outside corner and a dish pass to Guastella under the basket. Guasatella failed to convert but drew a foul and sank two crucial free throws.
Most importantly, Fallon held Rumson-Fair Haven’s star scorer Ashley Cooper scoreless from the field. Fallon guarded Cooper all night and shut her down.
“Gracie has grown up as the season came along,” Montano said.
Defense was a big part of this win. The Bulldogs “are as good as they come” and one of the top offensive teams in the Shore Conference, said Coach Montano.
“But we held them to 11 field goals, Cooper didn’t get a field goal,” Montano said. “Doesn’t come any better in the Shore Conference then Rumson-Fair Haven.”
But at the end of the day it’s just a hometown game against a hometown rival.
“It’s fun playing,” a tired and elated Guastella told Red Bank Patch after the game.
