MIDDLETOWN — Had the Red Bank Catholic boys basketball team executed one more box-out the last time it faced Ranney, the Caseys would have swept the Panthers and endured far less drama on the way to winning a Shore Conference Class B North championship than they encountered. But then they might not have been as focused as they were on Saturday, when the two division foes met for the rubber match to decide the final spot in the Shore Conference Tournament semifinals Wednesday at Brookdale Community College. RBC — the No. 3 seed in the SCT — absorbed a hot start by Ranney and a dazzling scoring performance by senior Shaan Nayar to battle past the 11th-seeded Panthers, 60-55, and secure a spot in the Shore Conference Tournament semifinals for the first time in four years. “We used it as fuel,” Hager said of the Jan. 28 loss to Ranney in double-overtime. “They celebrated a lot after that one and they deserved it. It was a big win, but we didn’t want that to happen again, so we definitely used that as motivation.” Junior Gavin Biasi paced Red Bank Catholic with 17 points and six rebounds while shooting 6-for-6 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter, which led a 10-for-12 showing by RBC from the line during the final five-plus minutes of the game. Senior Ryan Saxton added 14 points for the Caseys and the 6-foot-7 Hager made his mark with 11 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots for RBC. Hager scored on a tip-in early in the fourth quarter to give RBC a 46-45 and thanks to the sharp free-throw shooting and effective defense, the Caseys did not surrender the lead the rest of the way. Junior Ryder Ciorciari chipped in eight points and five assists for RBC and was 4-for-6 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter to complement Biasi. Senior guard and Caseys leading scorer James Hankowski hit a pair of three-pointers early in the third quarter to account for his six points. Both threes by Hankowski extended RBC’s lead to its largest of the game, which was nine points. After the second of Hankowski’s threes made it 35-26, Ranney began to chip away at the Caseys lead and grabbed the lead back, 43-42, when RBC fouled sophomore Jordan Rue as he was launching a 70-foot heave in the final second of the quarter. Rue hit two of the three foul shots to send Ranney to the fourth with the lead and momentum. RBC ceded the momentum in the first quarter as well, with Ranney storming out to a 16-9 lead thanks to an eight-point start by Nayar during that stretch. The senior guard went on to score a game-high 27 points in the loss. “We knew Shaan was going to come out hot, score a lot of buckets” Biasi said. “They are a great defensive team. They play tight on us every time, that’s how they beat us last time. We kept our composure at the end, made our free throws and came out with the win.” “He is one of the best guards in the Shore,” Hager said. “I thought we did an alright job on him and he still got his points.” The Caseys made their way back in the second quarter, with Biasi hitting three-pointers on back-to-back trips to give his team a 25-21 lead. Saxton then closed the quarter with RBC’s last four points and the Caseys stormed into the locker room with a 29-23 lead thanks to an 18-5 run to finish the half. Ranney entered Saturday with four players averaging at least 10 points per game, but only Nayar cracked double-figures. With Nayar scored half the team’s points, RBC slowed down the rest of the Panthers unit, which was enough to limit their offense. “Anyone on our team can score,” Biasi said. “We have Tyler who can score inside, we have shooters, we have guys who can get to the rim and we share the ball. I think it does probably help us when we face Ranney, because it’s kind of the same thing with them. You can try to stay with you man and then Shaan has a big game and if we would have tried to do more to stop him, their other guys might have beat us.” As Ranney scrambled to stay afloat in the final minutes of the game, RBC drew upon its experience against the Panthers, as well as from its experience against quality opponents throughout the year. Of RBC’s six losses, three have come in overtime, the most recent of which was a 62-57 loss to Ranney in double-overtime on Jan. 28. In that game, Ranney junior Andrew Mardahaev scored on a putback at the fourth-quarter buzzer to send the game into overtime. The loss put RBC’s hopes of a Class B North division championship in jeopardy, but the Caseys won the remainder of their division games to clinch the outright division championship. While most of RBC’s team prepares for their first SCT semifinal experience, Hager is set for his second straight trip to the semifinals, which he also made last season as a sophomore with St. Rose. Hager transferred to Red Bank Catholic ahead of the current school year and after initially planning to pass on the basketball season to focus on baseball, he decided to play and has not regretted the decision. “It means a lot,” RBC junior Tyler Hager said. “It’s awesome. There is always another chance, another play that we’re looking forward to and this just means we get to keep going and keep trying to prove how good we are.” After paying back Ranney for a January loss, RBC will now attempt to pay back Wall for a December loss — a 44-34 Crimson Knights win in the first round of the Kevin Williams Christmas Classic. In that game, RBC was within four points of Wall heading to the fourth quarter, but scored only three points in the fourth and went scoreless over the final 5:30. If the Caseys can crack the 19-1 Crimson Knights, they will earn a trip to the SCT championship game for the first time in program history. “Wall’s a great team,” Biasi said. “They beat us in the beginning of the year. They play great defense team. We didn’t get a lot of good shots, so we’re going to have to work on our offense.”...

Red Bank Catholic varsity basketball senior Katie Liggio has reached a milestone few achieve in their high school careers. She has recorded her 1000th point for the Caseys. Congratulations to Katie on all of her hard work on and off the court!...

Red Bank Catholic’s Addy Nyemchek will be playing in the most prestigious high school girls basketball all-star game. Nyemchek was selected to play in the 2026 McDonald’s All-American Game, the organization announced on Monday afternoon. She is the first McDonald’s All-American from Red Bank Catholic since Justine Pissott in 2022. Committed to Indiana University, she’s also the first signee in Hoosiers program history to be selected. “It’s definitely really cool, I’m really excited. It’s definitely an honor to be picked as a McDonald’s All-American so I’m really excited,” Nyemchek said. “This is a crazy opportunity, being called a McDonald’s All-American will definitely be a memory forever, so to making those memories and being a part of the game is just really special.” The senior guard, who currently stands at 1,541 career points, is averaging 19.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.8 steals per game and has made 23 3-pointers. She will be playing on the East roster. Nyemchek is currently the top-rated player in the state of New Jersey for the class of 2026, ranked as a four-star recruit and 28th in the country by ESPNW. Red Bank Catholic, ranked No. 2 in the NJ.com Top 20, is 18-2 and tied for first atop the Shore Conference A North Division at 7-1. The Caseys have only lost to Long Island Lutheran (NY) and St. John Vianney so far this season. “It goes a lot to my support system too, my parents first of all, my trainers, my coaches, my teammates, they’re all definitely a huge part of it and I’m so, so thankful for them,” Nyemchek said. “I’ve been working hard for a really long time and if you told me like two years ago that I would be a McDonald’s All American I’d probably laugh. I never thought that was an opportunity. So I think just staying grounded and continuing to work hard is finally paying off. ” This year’s McDonald’s All-American game will be played on March 31 in Phoenix, Arizona and will be broadcast on ESPN....

Red Bank Catholic won’t be the favorite in the Non-Public B state tournament. That distinction will go to defending champion Camden Catholic. Pope John is the main challenger. The Caseys might not be favored in District 32 either. Not with Lower Cape May, currently No. 13 in the state, boasting a state medalist, multiple state qualifiers and a head-to-head victory. RBC is not a wrestling juggernaut, not yet at least. But the Caseys are on their way. Right now, they are a dangerous team that continues to build momentum with a lineup that thrives in a dual-meet setting. Red Bank Catholic, ranked No. 16 in the NJ.com Top 20, won 10 bouts, including six straight from 132 through 165 pounds, to author a comprehensive 46-18 victory over host Lacey in a pivotal Shore Conference C Division match on Friday night in Lanoka Harbor. Joseph Gallagher (113), Anthony Russo (150) and Javier Guzman (157) each won by fall to lead the Caseys to their 10th win in their last 12 matches. Their only defeats during that span have come to No. 9 Delsea and Lower Cape May. Chris Kelesidis (132) and Luken Ramos (144) won by technical fall, while John Tarantino (106), Robbie Fritz (138) and Christian Rodriguez (165) won by major decision. Brian Garcia (190) and Phil Bertole (285) won by decision. For Lacey, Virginia Tech commit Killian Coluccio won by fall at 120 pounds, as did Joey Davis at 175. Aidan Flynn won by major decision at 126 and Jake Mott won by decision at 215. The Lions, however, were deducted one team point for unsportsmanlike conduct at 165 pounds. Friday’s victory clinched at least a share of the Shore C Division title for RBC. The Caseys can clinch the title outright when they wrestle Point Pleasant Boro on Feb. 4. Either way, it will be the first division title in program history. “They are truly a great dual-meet team because they care about each other more than their own wins and losses,” RBC head coach Joe Gallagher said. “That’s why we’re winning. That’s why we’re getting better. They listen so well and they care about everybody else.” “We believe in each other and we’re working hard in the room,” Ramos said. Red Bank Catholic (12-7) and Lacey (9-4) split the first four bouts. Tarantino won by major decision at 106 pounds over Chris Hingston and Gallagher locked in a cradle for a pin of Luke Miller at 113. Lacey answered when Coluccio, the state runner-up at 106 pounds last season, pinned Jax Bucco in 1:31 at 120. Senior Aidan Flynn scored a 14-6 major decision over Cole DeAngelo at 126 pounds to tie the match score 10-10. By the time Lacey won another bout, RBC had already taken control of the match. A technical fall by Kelesidis at 132 pounds ignited a dominant stretch through the middle weights that saw the Caseys open a commanding 40-10 lead. Fritz majored Eli Heilala at 138 for a four-point lead and Ramos followed with a technical fall at 144 for a 24-10 advantage. Pins by Russo and Guzman at 150 and 157, respectively, opened a 36-10 lead and Rodriguez capped the run with a major decision at 165 to clinch the match. It was a thorough win for Red Bank Catholic over a solid Lacey team, and it came with the Caseys missing two starters. Junior 120-pounder Mako Vezzosi was banged up during a win over Washington Township at the Pine Barrens Duals. He weighed in but did not wrestle. Senior heavyweight Caden Sternlieb, a transfer from St. Thomas Aquinas where he was a state qualifier last season, has yet to make his RBC debut as he works his way back from an injury. Balance has helped RBC overcome that type of adversity all season. The Caseys have one returning state qualifier in their lineup (Fritz). Tarantino is the only RBC wrestler ranked among the top eight in the NJ.com individual weight class rankings. Their success has been a product of depth, toughness and belief, not star power. “I don’t know how this ends, but the way they wrestle, not many things are off the table,” Gallagher said. “RBC is just getting started,” Ramos said. “We’re trying to become a powerhouse, and it’s only going to get better from here.”...