Beating St. Anthony and its legendary head coach Bob Hurley just once is a monumental achievement and something to be very proud of.
Beating the Friars four times in three seasons is unheard of.
Beating St. Anthony three straight years in a state championship game – well – what can you say?
Roselle Catholic can say yes to all of the above as the Lions – like no other team in the recent past – has St. Anthony’s number.
For the third straight year at Toms River North High School in Toms River, Roselle Catholic found a way to get past St. Anthony and beat the Friars in the Non-Public, B state championship game.
On Saturday, March 14 in Ocean County it was Roselle Catholic scoring the game’s final four points to down St. Anthony – ranked No. 1 in New Jersey – by the score of 56-52.
As a result, Roselle Catholic moves on to its third straight Tournament of Champions event, seeking to win the TOC for the second time in the past three seasons.
Roselle Catholic received balanced scoring in the victory, with Kentucky-bound senior Isaiah Briscoe leading the way with 17 points. Pierre Sarr was next with 13, while senior Chris Silva added 12 and six rebounds and junior Matt Bullock 11 and seven boards. Silva will continue playing at South Carolina.
St. Anthony, which was defeated at Roselle Catholic 51-48 at Roselle Catholic back on Jan. 2, received a team-high 17-point performance from Jagan Mosely.
Roselle Catholic won its fifth straight since falling to Linden 60-56 at Kean University on Feb. 28 in the Union County Tournament championship game. The Lions will enter the TOC with a 26-4 record that includes only two in-state losses – both to Linden.
Roselle Catholic also split with Linden in Union County Conference-Watchung Division play, winning the league title with a 7-1 mark.
St. Anthony had a 24-game winning streak snapped and finished its 2014-2015 season at 28-2. The only two Friar losses were to Roselle Catholic.
St. Anthony led both of its games against Roselle Catholic this year at halftime, the first by six points and the second by three.
It has been reported that Roselle Catholic became the first team to beat Bob Hurley and St. Anthony twice in one season.
Here’s a look at Roselle Catholic’s four wins over St. Anthony the past three seasons:
2014-2015 SEASON:
March 14 – RC 56, St. Anthony 52 – Non-Public, B final at TRN
Jan. 2 – RC 51, St. Anthony 48 – regular season at RC
2013-2014 SEASON:
March 15 – RC 60, St. Anthony 57 – Non-Public, B final at TRN
2012-2013 SEASON:
March 9 – RC 48, St. Anthony 44 – Non-Public, B final at TRN
Roselle Catholic is 3-1 in TOC games. The Lions defeated St. Joseph’s, Metuchen 65-49 in the 2013 final and in the 2014 semifinals were edged by Newark East Side 46-45.
Roselle Catholic was the top seed in 2013 and the third seed in 2014.
Roselle Catholic became the first Union County program to win three straight state championships since St. Patrick won three consecutive Parochial B state crowns from 2005-2007.
Here’s a look at the 5 Union County programs that won at least three straight state championships:
St. Mary’s, Elizabeth – won 5 straight in Parochial B in:
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
Elizabeth – won 4 straight in Group 4 in:
1988
1989
1990 – also won TOC
1991
Roselle – won 3 straight, first 2 in Group 1 and last one in Group 2, in:
1982 – Group 1
1983 – Group 1
1984 – Group 2
St. Patrick – won 3 straight in Parochial B in:
2005
2006 – also won TOC
2007 – also won TOC
Roselle Catholic – won 3 straight in Non-Public, B in:
2013 – also won TOC
2014
2015
2012 RC GRAD WARNEY SPARKS STONY BROOK
Although Stony Brook was edged by Albany 51-50 in Saturday’s America East Tournament championship game – the home team earned the win after Peter Hooley’s late 3-point basket – the visiting Seawolves received an outstanding performance from former RC star Jameel Warney.
The 2012 RC graduate and RC’s all-time leading scorer with nearly 1,700 points, Warney scored 20 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, blocked three shots and had one assist.
Albany improved to 24-8 and will move on to the NCAA Tournament with an automatic bid for winning its conference championship game.
Stony Brook had an eight-game winning streak snapped and fell to 23-11. The Seawolves will most likely next compete in the NIT.
Albany won the league title at 15-1 and split with Stony Brook in regular season play. Albany won at Stony Brook 64-47 on Jan. 19, while Stony Brook won at Albany 59-56 on Feb. 17.
The top-seeded Great Danes improved to 5-0 in the title game, including a 69-60 win on the road last year over the Seawolves. Stony Brook, the third seed, remained winless in four tries in the championship game.
Warney, a 6-foot-8, 255-pound junior, leads the country with 23 double-doubles and is the only player in the nation to lead his conference in points with 16.4 per game, rebounds with 11.6 per game and blocks with 51 total.
Warney is the third player in America East history to win player of the year and defensive player of the year in the same season.
Just six weeks after his mother had died of colon cancer, Hooley – a junior star from Australia – made the basket that put Albany in another NCAA Tournament. His shot went through with just 1.6 seconds to go.
Hooley missed eight games in the middle of the regular season to return to his native Australia to be with his dying mother. The team has worn “SH” patches on their left shoulders in honor of Sue Hooley, who died at 52 in late January.