What happened in the NJSIAA Non-Public A Final?

We’ve already discussed the NJSIAA Non-Public B Final, so it’s time to talk about the A final, which put the best team in the state, St. John Vianney, against a heavy underdog in Immaculate Heart. The two Non-Public A bracket champions from South and North Jersey faced off for a state title and not surprisingly, the Lady Lancers emerged victorious in dominant fashion. Here’s a recap and the top performers from Saturday’s action. <strong>RECAP</strong> The top-10 matchup between IHA and SJV got quickly out of hand and was essentially over in the first quarter as the Lady Lancers jumped out to a 22-2 lead. By halftime, St. John Vianney was lead 38-9 and while Immaculate Heart played much better in the second half, being out-scored just 36-27, the Lady Lancers had secured the win. There is dominance and then there is what SJV has done the entire season and now, sitting at 30-1, SJV rolls into the Tournament of Champions as the No. 1 overall seed. <strong>TOP PERFORMERS</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="321549" first="Isabella" last="Asencio"] (Jr.) - 5-4 PG, Immaculate Heart</strong> Asencio has been quite impressive to watch this season for IHA and against the best team in the state, she more than held her ground, knocking down two three-pointers on her way to a team-high 12 points. The junior also had three rebounds in the loss, but performed really well and exploited mismatches to drive and score in the lane. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="321596" first="Julia" last="Schutz"] (Jr.) - 5-8 SF/SG, Immaculate Heart</strong> Schutz greatly improved as a junior and was one of Immaculate Heart’s top scorers this season and she continued her stellar play in the final where she scored nine points along with four rebounds. She knocked down a three-pointer and got to the foul line, where she sunk two foul shots. Against a team like St. John Vianney, it was a stellar offensive performance in a tough game. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="134626" first="Madison" last="St. Rose"] (Sr.) - 5-10 PG, St. John Vianney</strong> St. Rose was dominant as usual in the non-public state final, scoring a game-high 18 points along with six rebounds, an assist and four steals. She was dazzling to watch score in the interior and knocked down at least one three-pointer for the 10th consecutive game. We’re running out of things to say about this guard sensation and there’s still at least one more high school game we get to see of her coming up. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="134644" first="Zoe" last="Brooks"] (Jr.) - 5-9 PG, St. John Vianney</strong> Like St. Rose, we’re running out of things to describe the dominance that Brooks has been on this entire season, including the Non-Public A Final. She scored 16 points along with four rebounds, two assists, a block and three steals. Brooks has been arguably the best passer and one of SJV’s best defenders this season and has now recorded at least three steals in her last seven games straight. <strong>Megan Calahan (Sr.) - 6-3 PF/C, St. John Vianney</strong> Calahan put together another solid performance for SJV in the non-public state final, showing off her defensive prowess with a block and steal, scoring eight points for the Lady Lancers. She’s been the presence in the middle for this team and her height creates so many problems for teams to navigate. It turns into a massive advantage for SJV as she naturally creates offensive mismatches and can dominate the glass as a rebounder and shot-blocker. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="401143" first="Ashley" last="O’Connor"] (Sr.) - 5-9 PG, St. John Vianney</strong> O’Connor hasn’t really needed to shine as much on the offensive end for a team with two potential high school All-Americans on it, but she’s been a fantastic facilitator for this team as a senior. In the state final, O’Connor recorded eight assists along with two points and two rebounds, also recording one steal. She’s done a great job at threading the needle through tight windows to get players open looks and give the Lady Lancers more scoring opportunities.