When Addy Nyemchek was in eighth grade, her biggest aspiration was making the varsity basketball team at Red Bank Catholic and seeing playing time as a freshman. Fast-forward four years and Nyemchek’s star is one of the brightest to have played for the Caseys. This season the 6-foot-1 guard helped lead Red Bank Catholic to its second-straight Shore Conference Tournament title, the South, Non-Public A title and its second Non-Public A title in three years as the Caseys finished ranked No. 1 in the NJ.com Top 20 with a record of 30-2. The Indiana University-commit averaged 19.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, three steals and hit for 33 3-pointers. She posted six double-doubles and became Red Bank Catholic’s all-time leading scorer in the final game of the season. She scored 22 points in the final against Morris Catholic for 1,781 career points, which surpassed 2008 graduate Kristina Danella’s 1,771 points. Which is why Nyemchek is the NJ.com Girls Basketball Player of the Year for 2025-26. “She’s meant an awful lot to the team,” Red Bank Catholic coach Joe Montano said. “I think the thing with Addy is she’s such a great teammate. It’s always been about winning with Addy and being there for her teammates and instilling confidence in her teammates. She’s really good with telling them how well they can play and what they can do. It’s always great when your best player is your hardest worker, but more importantly isn’t looking for the headlines and just wants to be part of the team.” Nyemchek, a four-year starter, was also the lone player from New Jersey to be selected to play in the McDonald’s All-American Game, and was also named the Gatorade New Jersey Player of the Year. Nyemchek said she had goals for her high school career entering her freshman year, but she never imagined the accolades her senior year would bring. “I remember when I was in eighth grade I talked to Montano, not really having crazy expectations because I knew RBC was always a very good school basketball-wise so I was kind of going into RBC hoping to make varsity, hoping to play,” Nyemchek said. “Obviously I had the goals to be a really good high school player, play Division I basketball but I never knew the scale of the goals that I could achieve freshman year. Over the course of time I knew that I could push those goals bigger and farther and again, as we all kind of got better and grew those goals got a lot bigger.” Nyemchek said she started playing basketball in the first grade and also played soccer growing up. When COVID hit she had to choose between the two sports and decided to stick with basketball. “Obviously playing the game, the competitiveness, the fast-paced type of game,” Nyemchek said of what sparks her joy for the sport. “Then kind of off the game, the people I was surrounded by, the people that I was training with and everything kind of motivated me to love the game even more.” Nyemchek has always been the type of player who was willing to do anything to help her team win, but after losing captains Tessa Carman and Christina Liggio to graduation last year, Montano had a new role for Nyemchek entering this season. “I think as a senior and talking to Montano a lot, I had to really take on that leadership role and I think I did a pretty good job this year kind of taking on that role,” Nyemchek said. “We lost two of our seniors last year, who were both our captains, so kind of taking that in and holding myself responsible, making sure I’m holding my teammates responsible, whether that’s practice, on the court, off the court. So I think that’s what I kind of improved on this year.” Along with her leadership abilities, Nyemchek did a little bit of everything on the court this season to help Red Bank Catholic win. While she was the team’s leading scorer, she was also second on the team in assists as she had no problem spreading the ball around in order to get baskets. If she had to focus on defense instead of scoring she was fine with that as well, as long as the team was winning. “I think the thing that impresses me the most is that she just has a great understanding of the game,” Montano said. “She can go into a game and say, ‘Today I’ve got to pass the ball to my teammates,’ or ‘Alright it’s the fourth quarter and I need to score 15 points or else we’re not going to win. Today I have to play defense for my team to win, I have to stop somebody who’s really good on the other team.’ For her to be able to do those things and kind of switch gears in the middle of the game is really impressive.” Nyemchek’s high school career in New Jersey might be over, but she’s nowhere near done with basketball just yet. She’ll play in the McDonald’s All-American Game on Monday night in Glendale, Arizona and will take her talents to Indiana in the fall. No matter where her basketball career takes her, Nyemchek will always remember what Red Bank Catholic was able to accomplish during her four years with the team. “It was so fun,” Nyemchek said of this season. “Obviously the last four years have been super fun, but again coming out with both championships, the last kind of go-around with the girls I think was a little bit more special this year than it was the last few years. We all kind of soaked it up, we knew we were moving on to different chapters after this season so basically having more fun and not taking anything for granted because we knew it was our last year.”...

Each year since 2006, MaxPreps has recognized outstanding performers in high school girls basketball. The tradition continues to close out the 2025-26 season by naming the top player in each state. Selections are based on team success and individual excellence in addition to local and state accolades. Addy Nyemchek of Red Bank Catholic (Red Bank) is the 2025-26 MaxPreps New Jersey High School Girls Basketball Player of the Year. The 6-foot-1 senior point guard led the Caseys to a 31-2 record and Non-Public A state championship. For the season, Nyemchek averaged 25.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.0 steals per night. She finished her career with 1,746 points and 772 rebounds in 119 games. Nyemchek came up big in the postseason with 22 points against nationally-ranked St. John-Vianney (Holmdel) in the South Jersey Non-Public A final and backed that up with 22 points and nine rebounds in a 62-45 win over Morris Catholic (Denville) in the state final. Regarded as a top 25 prospect in the Class of 2026, Nyemchek signed with Indiana in November and will participate in the McDonald's All American Game in March. Each state's MaxPreps Player of the Year will be considered for inclusion in the MaxPreps All-America Team, which is scheduled to be released in April. Past selections include 2025 WNBA Most Valuable Player A'ja Wilson (2014) along with 2025 All-WNBA selections Aliyah Boston (2017, 2018, 2019), Paige Bueckers (2018, 2019), Napheesa Collier (2015), Sabrina Ionescu (2015, 2016), Kelsey Mitchell (2014), Nneka Ogwumike (2008), Alyssa Thomas (2010) and Jackie Young (2014, 2015)....

Red Bank Catholic senior Addy Nyemchek was awarded the New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year award on Friday night. Nyemchek, an Indiana-commit, was also selected to play in the McDonald’s All-American Game earlier this season. On Thursday afternoon she helped lead the Caseys, ranked No. 1 in the NJ.com Top 20, to their second Non-Public A title in three years with a win over No. 3 Morris Catholic. A 6-foot-1 guard, Nyemchek averaged 19.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, three steals and hit for 33 3-pointers as Red Bank Catholic went 30-2, won the Shore Conference A North Division title and its second-straight Shore Conference Tournament crown. She is also ranked No. 28 in country in the Class of 2026 by ESPN and ends her high school career with 1,781 points. She became the school’s all-time leading scorer on Thursday afternoon when she broke the old record of 1,761 set by 2008 graduate Kristina Danella. According to a press release, “Gatorade Player of the Year is the top honor in high school sports, celebrating the nation’s best high school athletes for their excellence in sport, academics and community. The award recognizes Nyemchek as New Jersey’s best high school girls basketball player, and she joins an elite legacy that spans professional athletes and coaches to CEOs, such as Candace Parker (2002-03 & 2003-04, Naperville Central High School, IL) Paige Bueckers (2020-21, Hopkins High School, MN) and Aaliyah Chavez (2024-25, Monterey High School, TX).”...

PISCATAWAY — Thursday was a historic day for the Red Bank Catholic girls basketball program, but with a coaching milestone, and individual scoring record and a No. 1 finish in New Jersey all in play during the NJSIAA Non-Public A championship game, coach Joe Montano and his players went into the game with the goal of getting one of their seniors the ball in the final seconds. Normally, Montano might draw up a play to get Katie Liggio the ball with the game on the line, but on Saturday, he sent her into the game the day after finding out she suffered a torn ACL in her right knee to give her a chance to stand on the floor with her teammates on one of the most significant days in the history of the Caseys storied girls basketball program. Liggio’s moment was a footnote in Red Bank Catholic’s 62-45 statement win over defending Non-Public A champion Morris Catholic Saturday, during which Montano became the first Shore Conference basketball coach to record his 800th career victory, senior Addy Nyemchek became the school’s all-time leading scorer and RBC locked up the No. 1 ranking in the state for the first time since 2000. Those final seconds, however, underscored how this group of RBC seniors got to celebrate all those accomplishments on Thursday afternoon at Jersey Mike’s Arena on the campus of Rutgers University. Six of the seven seniors began their journey as freshmen and over the last two seasons, the group of seven has built up one of the more impressive resumes in the history of the RBC program and all seven are set up to play in college next year. “Our accomplishments come with our team getting wins,” Nyemchek said. “I don’t think we realized that and I didn’t really know about all that, so that’s great. But again, the win is what matters. Being part of this team is what matters and all the accomplishments just come with that.” Thursday marked RBC’s second state title in the last three years to go with back-to-back Shore Conference Tournament championships in 2025 and 2026. This is the first season in which RBC (30-2) has won both the SCT and the Non-Public A title since 2013 and with just one loss in New Jersey this season — to a St. John Vianney team that RBC beat three times in four games during the — the Caseys will finish No. 1 in the state for the first time since the 1999-2000 team won the Tournament of Champions. “It’s sad in a way, because we won’t get to play together anymore,” Nyemchek said. “But I think we left our high school career in a great way.” “These are tears of joy,” said senior Sophie Smith, who finished with nine points and four rebounds. “I’m so happy with what we have been able to accomplish these last four years, especially this last season. I’m sad that I’m not going to get to play with them anymore. I’m just excited to see what everyone accomplishes in college.” Montano broke the news of Liggio’s injury by calling the seven seniors into his office during the Wednesday school day. Liggio sustained the injury at the end of the first quarter of Monday’s win over St. John Vianney in the South Jersey final, after which Montano was hopeful the injury was not as severe. A University of Rhode Island commit and a 1,000-point scorer for her career, Liggio finished her senior season averaging 11.1 points per game — second on the No. 1 team in the state behind Nyemchek. “They came to my office (on Wednesday) and we all got a cry in,” said Montano, who called his seven seniors into his office during the school day. “We said look, Katie is just going to have a different role for one game. She is going to help coach her position. She is going to be a cheerleader and the goal is to be up by enough to get her in the game at the end.” “I had just finished English class and I already knew what it was about,” Smith said. “It was an emotional day. We were so sad for her, but we all knew we needed to come together to get her into the game for that last time. We wanted to be up by double-digits so we could get her that chance so she could end her season in the game. It was really important that we did that.” Nyemchek led the Caseys with 22 points, eight rebounds, eight steals and two blocked shots and her and-one finish in the fourth quarter tied the school’s all-time scoring record, previously held by 2008 graduate Kristina Danella. With 1,780 points to her name, Nyemchek prefers to see herself as part of a record-breaking senior class. “I give all the credit to my teammates,” Nyemchek said. “I cannot thank them enough. I wouldn’t want to play with any other group of girls. Just because I have the most points doesn’t mean anything. They get me the ball when they needed to, got big stops, big rebounds, so they really do a lot of things that don’t get noticed as much.” With a chance to play in the McDonald’s All-American game, the all-time leading scoring record at RBC and team accomplishments that include two state titles, two Shore Conference Tournament titles and a No. 1 finish, Nyemchek made a strong case as the best player through Montano’s program before she heads to Indiana University. “I try not to compare guys,” Montano said. “Who is the best? Who scores the most points? The thing that is so impressive about Addy is she will do what the team needs for her to win. If it’s a day that she needs to pass the ball, she is going to pass the ball. If it’s a day she needs to score the ball, she is going to score the ball. If it’s a day we need her defense, she is going to play great defense. She’s got such a great understanding of the game that she always understands what we need from her.” After a quiet scoring first half, Nyemchek scored 17 of her 22 points in the second half, including 13 in the fourth quarter to help RBC close out what was a close game. The Caseys took a 25-24 lead on Morris Catholic (25-6) into halftime on a jumper by senior Scarlet LeVake, who finished with nine points and seven rebounds off the bench in helping to fill the void left in Liggio’s absence. Senior Daniela Maletsky ignited the Caseys in the first half with nine of her 10 points on the game while also adding four rebounds and five assists — all in the first half as well, as RBC scored the first eight points of the game. “Dani played really great,” Montano said. “She drove the ball to the basket. We joked with her, we said, ‘When you were a sophomore in this gym, you scored twelve points (in the Non-Public A final). We need twelve today. We got ten, which is pretty good.” Starting in Liggio’s place, senior Lola Giordano added six points, four rebounds and five assists and nailed a three-pointer early in the fourth quarter that capped an 8-0 run and gave RBC its first double-digit lead of the game, 46-34. “We didn’t have Katie, but they are great players and they are very capable of hitting shots and getting easy layups like they did,” Nyemchek said. “Lola had some great passes and she was very disciplined under pressure as a point guard.” Smith came alive in the third quarter, hitting all three of her three-point shots in the quarter to give RBC a 40-34 lead heading to the fourth. The three threes were RBC’s first hits from beyond the arc in the game. “Sophie was huge in the third quarter,” Montano said. “I told her at halftime, ‘You’re really, really good and we need you. You’ve got to go out there and just play,’ and she did.” “The third quarter was pretty fast-paced, so it was just a matter of finding out where I was open,” Smith said. “We ran a lot of five-out stuff, so it was easy to draw the defense in and get some good looks. My teammates always find me, so it’s really on them.” Senior guard Tessa Liggio — Katie’s sister — chipped in four points and three assists and freshman Sumaiyah Lashley scored on a putback at the first-quarter buzzer to give Red Bank Catholic 11 bench points between LeVake and Lashley. Nyemchek’s and-one that tied Danella at 1,773 points gave RBC a 50-39 lead and after missing the ensuing free throw that would have set the new record, Nyemchek passed Danella with a pair of free throws on the next trip down the floor to extend the Caseys’ lead to 52-39. The rest of the way, RBC piled up its lead, with the ultimate goal of closing out a second state title in three years and ending it with Liggio on the floor. LeVake and Nyemchek each hit a pair of free throws and Tessa Liggio found Nyemchek for a breakaway layup to make the score, 62-43. “We wanted to leave no doubt that we were the number one team,” Smith said. “We wanted to really close it out. This was our last game ever so we really wanted to make sure we finished out strong.” That was enough for Montano, who sent Katie Liggio into the game with 35 seconds left and after the other four Caseys chewed up most of the clock, Nyemchek flipped the ball to Liggio for the final five seconds. After the final buzzer sounded, her teammates mobbed her, starting with he sister. No other coach in Shore Conference boys or girls history has reached 800 wins and any coach who gets there in the future will have a hard time topping Montano’s 800th, which clinched the program its 10th state championship — all under his watch. “I told them I’m grateful for the opportunity to coach them,” Montano said of his seniors. “If you saw the development from freshman year to now, how they have become mature, really great young ladies, you would feel as happy as I feel. That’s as important as winning.”...

Senior Addy Nyemchek poured in a career-high 37 points as top-seeded Red Bank Catholic, No. 1 in the NJ.com Top 20, returned to the NJSIAA South Jersey, Non-Public A final with a 68-31 win over fourth-seeded and No. 12 St. Thomas Aquinas in the semifinals in Red Bank. The Caseys (28-2) advanced to the sectional final for the third year in a row. They will face second-seeded and No. 2 St. John Vianney, a 63-54 winner over third-seeded and No. 3 Paul VI. Red Bank Catholic won the final in 2024 and lost last year, both against Paul VI. The Caseys have already defeated St. John twice this season, by scores of 62-51 and 53-49. Nyemchek hit five 3s and beat her previous career-best performance by nine points. She also had 14 rebounds, six assists, two blocks and three steals. Katie Liggio added 14 points and Tessa Liggio chipped in nine. Leah Kearney scored 10 points to lead St. Thomas, which finished with the season with a 24-7 record....