Morris Catholic girls go back to back, Pope John falls in Non-Public basketball finals
PISCATAWAY — Mia Pauldo was determined not to cry. Even as Morris Catholic head coach Billy Lovett teared up, and seniors Alexis Rosenfeld and Madison Miller were audibly weeping, the Pauldo twins tried to keep stoic faces after the NJSIAA Non-Public B final.
The Crusaders defeated Rutgers Prep for the second year in a row, 53-49. It's the first time Morris Catholic has won back-to-back titles since 1986 and 1987, when assistant coach Rahim Huland-El was a senior at Randolph High School.
"It's definitely emotional," Mia Pauldo said. "Playing in a university gym, this court was a little bit bigger (than RWJBarnabas Arena) because there's more space. The adrenaline, the crowd around us was bigger. The energy in the gym was definitely bigger."
The Pauldos, identical twin junior guards born a minute apart, combined for 36 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and four steals in the final. Senior Alexis Rosenfeld, the only other Crusader who played in the 2023 championship game, did not score but contributed five rebounds, a block and two assists.
"I love this team so much and I've grown so much here from the players and the coaches," said Rosenfeld, who has signed a National Letter of Intent with Manhattan College. "I'm going on to a great chapter, but this is my second family. I'm so proud of us. I'm glad this is how our season ended."
Morris Catholic (27-1) had just one loss, 81-58 to Long Island Lutheran on Feb. 17 – the day after earning its third straight Morris County Tournament title. All Rutgers Prep's losses came against out-of-state opponents, including Long Island Lutheran.
Argonauts senior Mikayla Blakes, who has verbally committed to Vanderbilt, scored a game-high 21, plus five rebounds. But Rutgers Prep (24-5) shot only 29.2% from the field. Each team committed 11 turnovers.
The Crusaders' average wasn't much better, just 39.1% from the field – scoring well below their usual 71 points – but they were one of the few teams to shut down Rutgers Prep. Sophomore guards Gigi Battle and Ava LaMonica added 14 and 12 points respectively for the Argonauts.
Miller, who transferred from Pope John in the summer, had five points and seven boards for Morris Catholic.
The Crusaders passed the trophy around after the game, posing for photos with what they jokingly called "the baby." Since the players now have two prizes, the Pauldos decided they must be twins too.
"This group is special," Mya Pauldo said, echoing Lovett's words to the team from a few minutes earlier. "To do it all together, it's all love. As much as we fail, when we face adversity, it brings us together, like when we win, it brings us together."
Non-Public A: Red Bank Catholic 80, Pope John 23
Sophomore guard Katie Leggio scored 20 points as Red Bank Catholic ran away from Pope John, 80-23, in the NJSIAA Non-Public A final, the first game of championship weekend.
Pope John freshman Kaity Platt had six points and two rebounds. Her sister, sophomore Addison Platt, added five points and five boards. Sophomore Mia Washington and junior Katie O'Keefe had five points apiece for the Lions (25-5).
"We didn't play like we can," said new head coach Peter Torres, who came up from Randolph. "We're young and had a lot of nerves. A lot of things we worked on, we didn't do in the game."
It was a disappointing ending for Pope John, which came in on a 15-game winning streak – including its first Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex title. This was the Lions' second trip to a Group final, the first since losing to St. John Vianney in 1998.
"They had a new coach, a new system. They had a lot to learn," Torres said. "Hopefully, we'll learn from this, and we'll be back next year."
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: NJ girls basketball: Non-Public state finals
