Different Team, Same Goal - T.O.C. Championship

BELMAR – The faces change, and the coaches change, but year after year the goal still remains the same for the St. Rose girls basketball program – win its first ever Tournament of Champions championship.

Since 2012, St. Rose has made four appearances on the biggest stage in New Jersey High School basketball but has come home each time without the coveted Tournament of Champions trophy.

Last year, with arguably its finest senior class in program history leading the way, the Purple Roses ran the gauntlet reaching the Tournament of Champions Tournament for the first time since 2015, but fell in overtime to defending T.O.C. champion Franklin in the semifinals.

From that team: Lucy Thomas (Monmouth University), Mikayla Markham (Columbia University), Elizabeth Marsicano (St. Joseph’s University) and Ariana Dalia (Bates College) are all playing at the next level after finishing stellar careers at St. Rose last season.

Thomas finished with 1,620 career points and 1,036 career rebounds while Markham added 1,131 career points and 508 assists.

Former AAU coach Mary Beth Chambers, who was expected to take over as head coach last season before the NJSIAA governing body forced her to sit out last year on a technicality, is back to run the program which is again loaded with talent despite its losses from graduation.

“I’m excited about the team and we’ve been practicing hard but it’s new to everybody,” Chambers said. “We have a lot of new people and we have a lot of players that really didn’t play as much last year because we lost such an amazing senior class that’s obviously not replaceable.

“But I like how we’ve been practicing and I like how we’re starting to get to know each other as players and people. Everything’s different from last year, it’s all new from the offense, to the defenses, to philosophy’s, and everybody has to get on the same page. So, we’re excited for that challenge and we’re throwing ourselves into the fire hoping we learn quickly.”

St Rose, however, does return four standout players from a year ago that saw quality minutes and were a big part of their success on the court last season.

Three seniors, including 5-foot-9 forward Maggie Stapleton (4.4 points), guard/forward Sam Mikos (6.1 pts., 3.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists) and West Point commit Lauren Lithgow (9.4 pts., 1.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 steals, 44 three-pointers) at shooting guard will start for Chambers with Mikos being the only retuning starter.

“We have three senior leaders which is helping with the transition,” Chambers said. “Lauren is one of our leaders who can really stretch a defense. Last year she was a great spot-up shooter, but she’s added to her game and now can also get to the rim, so she’ll be difficult to defend. We also have a lot of other pieces around her that will look to get her the ball or if defenses collapse on her she’ll kick it out to them and they’ll be effective as well.”

Sophomore Abigail Antognoli gets the start at point guard this season after a breakout freshman campaign that saw her minutes increase as the season went on before eventually playing a vital role down the stretch.

Maureen Stapleton, Maggie’s younger sister, is back after solid freshman season and will see increased playing time this season at the forward spot while junior Kitty Murphy will see time at guard after getting her feet wet last season as a sophomore.

“Maureen’s another versatile player that has a high basketball IQ,” Chamber said. “I think she’s going to really help us this year.”

Junior Allison Darcy and freshman Mary Donnelly will add depth off the bench.

St. Rose benefits from its reputation as one of the top programs in the state attracting high-end talent seeking the level of competition that St. Rose offers day-in, day-out along with the superior coaching afforded to them.

And, in addition to playing in arguably the toughest conference in the state, St. Rose is known for its brutal out of conference schedule that routinely has them competing against top 20 teams in-and-out of New Jersey.

This season, St. Rose added four transfers to its roster with two of them having already distinguished themselves as big-time talents and two who will add quality depth to the front court.

“As soon as the transfers walked in we welcomed them and hopefully they felt welcomed,” Lithgow said when asked about the team chemistry with so many newcomers. “We all really get along and gel well which is something we’re really proud of. Everyone leads by example and we really lean on each other. If one of us makes a mistake we pick each other up; it’s definitely a family atmosphere.”

Junior Brynn Farrell is a legitimate scorer who transferred in from Metuchen after leading the state in scoring two years ago averaging 31.7 points per game. She sat out last season with a broken wrist but is healthy now and should make an immediate impact, with the potential to be one of the top scoring threats in the Shore.

Sophomore Makayla Andrews came over from Neptune where she averaged 20.2 points per game as a freshman on the way to being named the Class A North Player of the Year and a first-team All-Freshman selection.

Chambers loves Andrews versatility and expects her to contribute in a lot of different ways.

Donovan Catholic transfer, Layla Laws, a 6-foot-0 sophomore forward, and junior forward Maria Tedesco from Saint John Vianney gives St. Rose some added height and toughness underneath with huge upsides.

“Right now, we’re just looking at one game at a time and trying to get better with every practice and every game,” said Chambers when asked if this team can make another run to the T.O.C. “So predicting the future is kind of tough but of course that’s where we’d love to end up and if we continue on this path of commitment I think there’s a pretty good chance we’ll definitely compete for that.”

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