Red Bank Catholic, St. Rose girls basketball state championships doubleheader: live coverage

It's time to see which teams will have a new banner raised in their gym next year or not.

The South Non-Public A and B girls basketball sectionals final round is here for Red Bank Catholic and St. Rose with the games taking place at Jackson Liberty High School on Monday. The Purple Roses will go up against Rutgers Prep at 4 p.m. before the Caseys take on Paul VI at 6 p.m.

Here are live updates (go to the bottom of the page to see game previews):

Red Bank Catholic vs. Paul VI live updates:

Paul VI held a narrow lead at halftime 23-22 over Red Bank Catholic. The first half consisted of nine lead changes with neither team leading in double digits. Daniela Maletsky and Addy Nyemchek each finished the first two quarters with five points. Nyemchek, who was injured in the third quarter of their previous game, has a head band and bandages over where she injured her head. Nyemchek and Tessa Carman each had five rebounds for the Caseys in the first half.

RBC led the game at the end of the first quarter 9-8. Caseys went on a 5-0 run to start the game, but Paul VI fought back with their full court pressure and deep shooting.

St. Rose vs. Rutgers Prep live updates

Rutgers Prep defeated St. Rose in the final round of the Non-Public B tournament, 63-42. Despite the game being close and competitive for the first half of the game, it was the Argonauts who began to go on runs at the top of the third and fourth quarter.

For Rutgers Prep, they continued their dominance and extended their win streak to 10 games. They know the team they want to face, and Mondays game helped prepare them for it.

"I'm thrilled for them and we're one more step in what we want to do this year," Mary Coyle Klinger. "Our goal from the very beginning is to beat Morris Catholic in the state championship and everything we've done is to prepare for that. So I'm thrilled for the kids, we'll celebrate tonight, and get right back to work."

Rutgers Prep went on a 14-2 run out the fourth quarter helped extend their lead to the point where St. Rose couldn't come back from. The Purple Rose's will lose seniors in Maggie Kerr and Tanaiyah Decker, but the future of the program looks bright. And though their season ended at the hands to one of the top teams in the state, there's a silver lining in all of it.

"I think we tested ourselves against everybody in this state," said St. Rose head coach Christine Hatfield. "Some games didn't go the way we wanted them to and some games I'd like back in my pocket, but the experience and challenges these young girls had to face, there's just great learning experience from that."

"Definitely full of hard work," said Lynch when asked to describe the season. "And we have two seniors that are leaving and like coach Krissy said she couldn't ask for a team that feels more like a family."

Sophomore Jada Lynch came out the first half with 14 points, but only scored three points in the second half. GiGi Battle (nine points) was switched on to defend Lynch in the second half, and it was clear her size and physicality was a difference maker. Cassidy Kruesi scored 12 points for St. Rose.

"I thought we did a really good job on her," said Klinger. "And the other thing we talked about too, she's such a good player she's gonna score, so you just want to limit it, but what we tried to do is make it more difficult for the other players."

Mikayla Blake finished the game with 14 points, but it was her disruption on defense and being the floor general that made her special in this game. The Vanderbilt commit received more praise from her coach after the game.

"People don't understand how good she is defensively," said Klinger on Blake. "The way she disrupts, the way she helps, helps her teammates is tremendous. That's why she is where she is, what she's accomplished, and what she'll continue to accomplish.

Out the gate of the second half Rutgers Prep began to take control with their sharp passing and finishing around the rim. A 14-5 run at the top of the third quarter helped them extend their lead over St. Rose. The lead once touching 18 points at one point, that's before two Cassidy Kruesi buckets brought the lead down at the end of the third quarter, 47-33.

Rutgers Prep leads St. Rose at halftime 28-22. Sophomore Jada Lynch finished the first half with 14 points for the Purple Rose's. Their sixth-player and senior Tanaiyah Decker found herself in foul trouble early in the second quarter with three fouls and had to sit out. Vanderbilt commit Mikayla Blakes took command in the second quarter with six points, which included a big three-pointer for Rutgers Prep.

Mid-second quarter: It's a one-point game with four minutes left in the first half - Rutgers Prep 18, St. Rose 17.

End of first quarter: St. Rose raced out to a 9-3 lead but Rutgers Prep answered with an 8-0 run, giving Prep a 13-10 lead at the end of the quarter. Lynch had a team-high five points for St. Rose.

More: Manasquan girls basketball finds playoff hero from off the bench: 'Did everything we needed.'

Preview: St. Rose (19-9) vs Rutgers Prep (23-4), 4 p.m.

The Purple Roses, coached by Christine Hatfield, have gone through the likes of St. Joseph, Holy Spirit, and Ranney to get to the final round. They hit a rough patch at the end of January where they lost four out of five games before entering the state playoffs. St. Rose is led by sophomore Jada Lynch, who's averaging 21 points and 10.6 rebounds in this tournament. She's had a season-high 30 points in a loss to St. John Vianney and has become a more consistent scorer as the season progressed. St. Rose's secret weapon may be their sixth-player in senior Tanaiyah Decker who can defend multiple positions and is top five on the team in made three-pointers. The Purple Roses also have dead-eye shooters Cassidy Kruesi and Brooke Missry on the wing.

The Argonauts are coached by Mary Coyle Klinger, who has over 700 career wins. Rutgers Prep has had nothing but a challenging schedule season - beating the likes of Red Bank Catholic but also losing to No. 2 nationally ranked Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.). They are on a nine-game win streak with most victories coming by blowouts. They are led by senior, top-ranked, and Vanderbilt commit Mikayla Blakes, who's averaging 23 points in the group tournament, and 20 points on the season.

Overview: The Purple Roses will have to play a near-perfect team game in order to beat this nataionally opponent with experienced seniors.

Preview: Red Bank Catholic (24-5) vs Paul VI (23-4), 6 p.m.

The Caseys are coached by Joe Montano, who's in his 34th year. The Caseys are coming off a semifinal in over St. John Vianney, ending a seven-game losing streak against the Lancers. The young RBC team has played the likes of nationally ranked Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.) and Morris Catholic -- both were losses. Their leading scorer is sophomore Addy Nyemchek, who went out in the third quarter against SJV due to a collision while driving to the rim. She should be available for tonight's matchup. The Caseys also have the likes of young talent in Katie and Christina Liggio plus junior Tessa Carman among those who've stepped up throughout the season.

The Eagles have coach Orlando Hidalgo back - he sat out two games earlier in the season due to an alleged recruiting violation. They've won 15 straight games - a span that's seen them beat Shore teams Manasquan, Ocean Township, and Trinity Hall (quarterfinals win). Their leading scorer is junior Azanah Campbell, who's averaging nine points on the season.

Overview: Red Bank Catholic may have too much depth in their lineup for Paul VI to handle.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Girls basketball NJSIAA tournament: Red Bank Catholic, St. Rose live coverage