Lady Caseys Dominate in Quarterfinal Matchup

Here’s what you need to know: Red Bank Catholic senior center Sam Guastella scored 28 points – in three quarters – in the lady Caseys’ quarterfinal state playoff matchup against Notre Dame.

It took Notre Dame four quarters just to reach 21.

Red Bank Catholic, seeded second in the State South Jersey Non-Public A girls basketball playoffs, dominated Notre Dame in all facets of the game in Red Bank Thursday night, beating the Irish 70-21.

Controlling the tempo on both ends of the court, the Caseys held Notre Dame to single digits in scoring in each quarter. Twice the Irish managed to score six points in a quarter.

Led by Guastella’s first-quarter offensive burst – she scored 16 points – the Caseys ran out to a 23-4 lead after the first eight minutes of play. They would not let up on either the offensive or defensive end.

Coach Jon Montano said Red Bank Catholic, which had a first-round by in the tournament, came ready to play following a regular season where it showed sometimes-inconsistent play but still finished with a 19-6 record.

“We were really well rested and fresh,” Montano said. “I thought our defense was very good tonight. There were times when we didn’t allow Notre Dame to even breathe.”

The Caseys were able to spread the floor with a running-offense and quick and accurate passes, many of which found a leaking Guastella at the basket. When the Notre Dame defense was able to get back in time, ball movement led to several chances for open jump shots.

Morgan Arnott and Caroline Corcoran each added 12 points for Red Bank Catholic, including two made 3-pointers a piece.

Montano believes his team and its talented core of seniors and underclassmen is hitting its stride at just the right time. The Caseys are taking every game as it comes, he said, but they’ve still got their eyes set on a championship.

“We have to take it one game at a time,” he said. “The key to this bracket is someone has to beat St. John Vianney. They’re the one seed in the bracket. Can we beat them? I think we can.”

Red Bank Catholic plays its semifinal game at home Saturday at 1 p.m.