Roselle Catholic veteran head coach Joe Skrec did a yeoman's job once again in guiding a Union County Tournament championship team. (Photo by Todd Mundt)
Cap Pazdera again guided New Providence to a Group 1 state championship as the Pioneers completed yet another superb hoops season. (Photo by JR Parachini)
Roselle Cath. & New Providence
Won Titles Once Again In '10-'11
Won Titles Once Again In '10-'11
By JR Parachini
For sidelinechatter.com
Different year. For sidelinechatter.com
Same results.
For the third straight year the Roselle Catholic Lions captured the Union County Tournament championship.
For the second straight season the New Providence Pioneers were crowned Group 1 state champions.
Different UCT.
Different teams.
While Roselle Catholic made it back to the UCT semifinals as the top seed for the second straight season, the two-time defending champion Lions were joined by newcomers New Providence, Gov. Livingston and Dayton in the Final Four.
Winning more than 20 games were Roselle Catholic, New Providence, Cranford and Dayton.
Cranford reached a sectional championship contest for the third straight year. The Cougars are 10-3 in the states the past three seasons.
Repeat Champions: Roselle Catholic received 20 points from senior Melissa Tobie en route to a 33-26 win over Gov. Livingston in the UCT final at Kean University in Union. RC led 5-0 after the first period, survived a brief GL lead early in the third quarter and remained in front from there on in. New Providence came back to down Haddon Township 50-40 in the Group 1 state championship game at Poland Springs Arena on the campus of Toms River North in Toms River. Senior Laura Gregory had nine points, 14 rebounds and three assists to help the Pioneers overcome an 18-10 halftime deficit. New Providence defeated University again at home in the North 2, Group 1 playoffs, winning 48-46 in overtime in the final.
Streak Busters: New Providence put an end to three prominent winning streaks. In its only victory in four tries against Gov. Livingston the Pioneers defeated the Highlanders 45-42 at home on Jan. 31 to snap a 12-game GL winning streak. New Providence then defeated Dayton 59-44 at home on Feb. 10 to halt a 12-game Bulldog winning streak. On the very next night, the Pioneers traveled to Roselle Catholic and stunned the Lions 40-30, ending RC’s 15-game winning streak.
New Territory: For second-seeded New Providence, third-seeded Gov. Livingston and 12 th-seeded Dayton, qualifying for the Union County Tournament semifinals was a relatively new experience. New Providence won its first UCT game in four years to reach the Final Four, while Dayton went 3-0 against Mountain Division foes - Union Catholic, Oak Knoll, Cranford - to reach the semifinals for possibly the first time. GL captured one victory to reach the Final Four for the first time under head coach Andy Silvagni’s tenure.
JR’s ELITE 11 FOR 2011:
Melissa Tobie, Roselle Catholic, senior: Tobie reached 1,000 points in a 51-40 home state tournament win over Paramus Catholic.
Bianca Partlow, Roselle, senior: Partlow poured in 21 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out six assists in a 51-48 home win over Roselle Catholic.
Alyssa Polimeni, Gov. Livingston, junior: Polimeni poured in a game-high 20 points to lift GL past New Providence 47-37 in a UCT semifinal at Rahway.
Jessica McCoy, Cranford, sophomore: McCoy scored eight of her game-high 18 points in the fourth quarter of a 42-31 conference win at Johnson.
Laura Gregory, New Providence, senior: Gregory netted a game-high 15 points in a 52-43 conference road win at Oak Knoll.
Kerri Moran, Oak Knoll, sophomore: Moran produced a career-high 28 points in a 54-40 conference road win over Gov. Livingston.
Jamiyah Bethune, Union, junior: Bethune made one of two free throws with no time left and finished with 13 points and eight boards in a 46-45 win at Linden.
Anna Lies, Dayton, junior: Lies produced 13 points, six rebounds and seven assists in a 58-32 conference home win over Kent Place.
Kristy Pflug, Johnson, senior: Pflug led the Crusaders with 18 points and made the All-Tournament Team after Johnson defeated Voorhees 48-43 in the Roselle Catholic Holiday Tournament consolation game.
Kate Martino, Summit, junior: Martino scored a game-high 22 points in a 68-43 UCT prelim win over Hillside at Rahway.
Shannon Wheeler, Linden, junior: Wheeler poured five of her game-high 22 points in overtime in a 53-50 home win over 8-0 Somerville.
BEST OF THE REST:
Chioma Moneme, Union, senior
Wendy Berry, Union, freshman
Jatirah Diggs, Elizabeth, junior
Drew Winter, Plainfield, freshman
Tamara Todd. Linden, senior
Jada Lewis, Linden, sophomore
Nicole Johnson, Summit, junior
Kelly Osmulski, Summit, junior
Jo-Jo Patterson, Rahway, senior
Asyra Murchison, Rahway, junior
Emily Nicole, Rahway, freshman
Danielle Miller, Westfield, senior
Charlotte Lorentzen, Westfield, senior
Evie Klotz, Scotch Plains, senior
Aysia Peterson, Scotch Plains, senior
Taylor Sebolao, Scotch Plains, sophomore
Brittany Baker, Roselle Catholic, senior
Betina Petit, Roselle Catholic, senior
Marcia Senatus, Roselle Catholic, sophomore
Njera Hunter, Roselle, senior
Nyasia Davis, Roselle, junior
Morgan Miller, Cranford, junior
Jenna Goeller, Cranford, sophomore
Sam Dowling, Gov. Livingston, junior
Mallory George, Gov. Livingston, sophomore
Kate Matthews, Johnson, senior
Cyndi Wilson, Johnson, junior
Lauren Corigliano, Roselle Park, senior
Jasmine Serano, Union Catholic, junior
Shana LaRocca, Union Catholic, freshman
Shanique Owens, Hillside, senior
Kaitlyn Cresencia, New Providence, senior
Emma Culleton, New Providence, junior
Cassandra Squeri, New Providence, sophomore
Jen Kuczynski, Dayton, junior
Emily MacDonnell, Dayton, junior
Paige Tannenhaus, Mother Seton, senior
Catie Mota, Oak Knoll, senior
Haneah Jackson, Benedictine, senior
Samantha Hoag, Brearley, senior
Erin McDonnell, Kent Place, senior
Maya Lobban, Kent Place, junior
Shaniece Bannister, St. Mary’s, Elizabeth, senior
Dynesha Frazier, St. Patrick, junior
TEAMS OF THE YEAR:
Roselle Catholic, Gov. Livingston, New Providence
Roselle Catholic was the Union County Tournament champion, becoming the first team in 17 years to win three straight. Roselle Catholic shot 313-for-462 (68 percent) from the free throw line this season and the Lions surrendered only 77 points in their three UCT games.
New Providence repeated as Group 1 state champions, becoming the first Union County school to repeat as state champs since Linden won Group 4 for the third year in a row in 1994.
Roselle Catholic and New Providence both won 24 games, with Roselle Catholic setting a school record for wins in a season and finishing 24-5, while New Providence went 24-6 after competing in a second straight Tournament of Champions field.
Two days after the UCT was seeded, New Providence went to Roselle Catholic and stunned the Lions 50-40 in a Union County Conference-crossover contest, ending Roselle Catholic’s 15-game winning streak. The Pioneers became the first of only two - Roselle was the other - Union County teams to defeat the Lions this season.
Governor Livingston, which reached the UCT championship game, defeated New Providence three times in four tries, including the first time in the Millburn Tournament championship game and the third time in the UCT semifinals.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Melissa Tobie, Roselle Catholic, senior
A three-year varsity starter who played in four Union County Tournament championship games including the junior varsity one her freshman season, Tobie scored 552 points this year (team-leading 19.03 average) to finish with 1,016 for her brilliant varsity career. She also averaged 8.1 rebounds, 3.1 steals, 2.7 assists and 1.2 blocks per game this season, also leading the Lions in all of those categories. Tobie scored 52 of Roselle Catholic’s 114 points in three UCT wins. She shot 79 percent from the free throw line, 128-for-162, and in six UCT and state tournament games she made 28-of-32 free throws for an impressive 88 percent production from the line.
COACH OF THE YEAR:
Joe Skrec, Roselle Catholic
The Lions lost four starters to graduation, but didn’t miss a beat, sparked by standout senior guard-forward Melissa Tobie and her 19-point, eight-rebound averages. Head coach Joe Skrec is always quick to credit his staff, which continues with assistant coach Charlie Wischusen and includes JV mentor Dennis Quigley. Not only was Roselle Catholic able to 3-peat as Union County Tournament champions – becoming the first program to do so since Elizabeth from 1995-97 – but the Lions produced a school-record 24 victories in a 24-5 season that also included two state tournament triumphs. Stepping up their play this season were elevated starters Marcia Senatus, Betina Petit and Nivanni Grant, while the Lions got a big boost from Mother Seton transfer Brittany Baker, a senior who proved to be one of the area’s top rebounders.
Honorable Mention:
Andy Silvagni, Gov. Livingston
Cap Pazdera, New Providence
Both of these coaches - who are close friends, used to coach together and are New Providence graduates - raise their team’s level of performance with their preparation and in-game adjustments. Both have their squads play solid defense and each puts his team in a position to win. Silvagni led GL to the county championship game for the first time in awhile, while Pazdera guided New Providence to a second straight Group 1 state championship.
Jackie Dyer, Cranford
Learning her craft from one of the best coaches in Union County history - Union Catholic’s Kathy Matthews - Dyer stresses defense, defense and more defense and all her teams do is win. She led the Cougars to a third straight sectional championship game and is expecting her first child in less than a month.
UNION COUNTY CONFERENCE
STANDINGS FOR 2010-2011:
WATCHUNG DIVISION
1-Roselle Catholic 13-1, champion
2-Roselle 9-5
Scotch Plains 9-5
4-Summit 8-6
Linden 8-6
6-Union 6-8
7-Westfield 2-12
8-Plainfield 1-13
2009-2010 CHAMPION: Summit
MOUNTAIN DIVISION
1-New Providence 11-2, champion
Did not host Johnson.
2-Gov. Livingston 10-4
Cranford 10-4
4-Oak Knoll 9-4
Did not host Hillside.
5-Johnson 7-6
Did not play at New Providence.
6-Union Catholic 5-9
7-Hillside 1-11
Did not play at Elizabeth and at Oak Knoll.
8-Elizabeth 0-13
Did not host Hillside.
2009-2010 CHAMPION: Roselle Catholic
VALLEY DIVISION
1-Dayton 13-1, co-champs
Kent Place 13-1, co-champs
3-Rahway 9-4
Did not play at St. Mary’s, Elizabeth.
4-Brearley 6-8
5-St. Patrick 5-9
6-Benedictine 4-10
7-Roselle Park 3-11
8-St. Mary’s, Elizabeth 2-11
Did not host Rahway.
2009-2010 CHAMPION: New Providence
JR’S FINAL
UNION COUNTY TOP 10
FOR 2010-2011:
1-Roselle Catholic 24-5
2-Gov. Livingston 19-6
3-New Providence 24-6
4-Cranford 22-6
5-Dayton 21-6
6-Roselle 18-10
7-Oak Knoll 18-7
8-Scotch Plains 15-9
9-Johnson 15-9
10-Summit 14-11
Others: Kent Place 15-7, Linden 13-12, Rahway 12-9, Union 11-14,
Union Catholic 9-13, Benedictine 9-15, Mother Seton 7-12,
St. Mary’s, Elizabeth 7-13, Roselle Park 7-14, Brearley 6-16, St. Patrick 6-16,
Elizabeth 3-17, Westfield 3-18, Hillside 2-17, Plainfield 1-20.
CHAMPIONS
UCT: Roselle Catholic
UCC’s Watchung Division: Roselle Catholic
UCC’s Mountain Division: New Providence
UCC’s Valley Division: Dayton, Kent Place
North 2, Group 1: New Providence
Group 1: New Providence
*
TOC quarterfinalist: New Providence
Sectional finalist: Cranford
Sectional semifinalists: Roselle Catholic, Gov. Livingston, Oak Knoll
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