Ridge High School Holiday Tournament Championship Win
Over the winter break, Randolph Girls Basketball was crowned champion of the two-day-long Ridge High School Holiday Tournament, beating Ridge 53-35 and South Brunswick 47-40, from Friday, Dec. 27 to Saturday, Dec. 28.
“I helped my team by supporting, motivating and driving them to finish 2024 strong,” senior captain Aliyah Lambo said.
Senior captain Kayla Brand was awarded tournament MVP and senior Kayla Pentz won All-Tournament Team, for their dominant roles in helping Randolph secure a win.
The tournament began with the Rams’ first game against Ridge High School. Randolph proved to be connected on the court with Brand scoring 22 points and Lambo behind her with 14. Junior Kayla Takacs made her mark on the court by getting six rebounds.
“I helped the team by being aggressive and confident on offense,” Brand said.
This win advanced the girls to an exciting final game against South Brunswick. Brand led the team by scoring 25 points; Pentz and Takacs followed with eight points each.
Junior Reina Daniel achieved four steals, assisting in putting the ball back in Randolph’s possession. The girls, along with help from seniors Lindsey Bona and Kate Sullivan, ended the game with a win, resulting in a close 47-40 score.
“Communicating with everyone more on defense allowed for us to get big stops,” said Brand on the team’s game plan going into the tournament.
Week of Jan. 4 to Jan. 8
Following the Ridge championship win, Randolph started out the week with a challenging setback, losing to Mount St. Dominic 52-35 on Jan. 4.
“We need to improve taking advantage of shot opportunities and easy layups when we get them,” Brand said after the loss.
The girls bounced back two days later, cementing their dominance in a 57-46 against Montville on Jan 6. Brand dominated the court, scoring 21 points for the team, with Pentz and Takacs right behind with 12 points each.
“We connected very well as a team both on and off the court and even when things didn’t go our way, we found a way around it by working with each other,” Pentz said.
The Rams faced their last opponent of the week on Jan. 8, winning against West Essex 54-44. Pentz was the leading scorer in this game, putting 24 points on the board.
“We continue to push each other every day to be better and spend time a lot of time with each other, growing that team chemistry that translates onto the court,” Lambo said.
Come cheer on the Rams in their next game today, Jan. 10, against Morristown- Beard.
