Shore Conference/GMC Tournament Semifinal Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're just about at the end of a number of county and conference tournaments in New Jersey as teams gear up for the upcoming sectional and state playoff push. Both the Shore Conference and Greater Middlesex Conference had their semifinal matchups take place over the past day or so. This article will take a look at some of the best performances from those four games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='559080' first='Jordan' last='Barnes'] - St. Thomas Aquinas (2026)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was a tight context between STA and Monroe in the semifinals, two top-five seeds facing off, but in the end, the Trojans took the win and sophomore forward [player_tooltip player_id='559080' first='Jordan' last='Barnes'] had herself a GAME. She finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and four steals, her 15th double-double of the season. What a time for that kind of performance to come as STA moves on to the GMC Tournament final.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='489009' first='Avery' last='Labaska'] - Monroe (2024)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Labaska has had a very up-and-down career for Monroe, but in one of her final games with the program, she put up a career performance, finishing with 19 points, coming exclusively from inside the arc or the foul line. Monroe wasn't favored on Wednesday, but she made this a game and put up a career-high in scoring at that. She's shown much more consistency this season and has shown up in big moments like this on numerous occasions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='414402' first='Jessica' last='Devine'] - Middlesex (2025)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The other GMC Tournament semifinal featured a marquee matchup between two top talents, and those two showed up in a big way. One was Middlesex junior [player_tooltip player_id='414402' first='Jessica' last='Devine'], who knocked down a pair of threes and finished with 21 points, five rebounds and four assists. Devine and the Blue Jays were the No. 14 seed, not expected to get anywhere close to the semis, but Devine carried this team on her back to get them there.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='325182' first='Taylor' last='Derkack'] - Colonia (2024)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Colonia ended up comfortably defeating Middlesex to reach the GMC Tournament final, and their senior superstar [player_tooltip player_id='325182' first='Taylor' last='Derkack'] put in work as usual to get the Patriots there. Pure insanity from her in the win, finishing with 27 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, five blocks and four steals. It's her fourth 25-point, 15-rebound double-double of the season and she's currently averaging a cool 24.1 PPG as a senior.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='431238' first='Katie' last='Collins'] - Manasquan (2024)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We had an upset in one of the two Shore Conference semifinal games as Manasquan took down top-seeded Red Bank Catholic by three points. Senior leader [player_tooltip player_id='431238' first='Katie' last='Collins'] was a big reason for that, finishing with 17 points in the win, her ninth 15+ point performance of the season and third in five games. 'Squan has won seven of its last eight games and is heating up at the right times thanks to players like Collins having incredible performances.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Addy Nyemchek - Red Bank Catholic (2026)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thursday was a rare loss for Red Bank Catholic, only its fifth of the season, but Nyemchek didn't miss a beat against a tough opponent in Manasquan. It was a career day for her, finishing with 23 points, but her efforts came up just short in the end. However, this has been a breakout season and Nyemchek took the next step she needed to join that elite level of talent throughout this state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='406947' first='Nina' last='Emnace'] - Trinity Hall (2024)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Emnace is the engine behind the well-oiled machine that is Trinity Hall, and down 16 points against SJV in the semis, she helped them force overtime against the Lancers. The senior guard ended up finishing with 18 points in a 57-53 overtime loss, continuing a streak of now six-straight games with 15 or more points. There just doesn't seem to be a situation that slows her down or make her less effective on the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='559135' first='Stella' last='Lockhart'] - St. John Vianney (2026)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wow, what a game Thursday night turned out to be for SJV, but not quite in the way the Lancers were hoping for. They pulled out a thrilling 57-53 overtime win that got too close for comfort, but leading the charge was sophomore forward [player_tooltip player_id='559135' first='Stella' last='Lockhart']. One of several players to finish in double-figures, she ended up with 16 points, manning the middle and taking care of business to send SJV to the Shore Conference tourney final.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->