Balsamo,Karcz Carry Middletown South Past Hopewell Valley in CJGIII Semifinal

Photo above: Happy Eagle players celebrate win with the birthday girl #24 Alexandra Balsamo

MIDDLETOWN – Junior guard Alexandra Balsamo erupted for a game-high 22 points, including going 3-for-4 from beyond the three-point arc, and Loyola University-bound senior guard Steph Karcz added 18 points as No.1 seed Middletown South had no problem getting past fourth-seeded Hopewell Valley 49-32 advancing to the Central Jersey Group III final for the third consecutive year.

Balsamo’s 11 first-quarter points gave Middletown South an early 10-point lead, 15-5, and they extended that advantage to 15 points, 27-12, at the half with Balsamo going a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line in the second quarter to finish with 17 points in the half.

“Our original game play was to shutdown number 13, she’s very tall and lanky and a very good player,” Balsamo said. “We noticed that their team boxed out really well and rebounds well. So that was our biggest concern because our team had been struggling to box out, but we did a great job with that tonight offensively and defensively.”

Number 13 is Hopewell Valley’s 6-foot-1 senior forward Sol Ashgarcia – a 2014-15 second team All-Colonial Valley Conference selection – who came in averaging 15 points per game and was held to six total points and one rebound the entire night, including just two points in the first half as the Eagles one-three-one zone gave the Bulldogs (19-8) fits in their attempt to penetrate.

Karcz – a two-time first team All-Shore selection - had an offensive rebound and put-back for the first points of the second quarter and added two steals and full-court drives to the basket for four points in the quarter to finish with eight first-half points. One, if not the, most complete players in the Shore Conference, Karcz grabbed seven rebounds, including five offensive boards, and had three steals in the first half alone before finishing with 11 boards and seven steals for the night.

“We had a scouting report on number 13 and three (junior guard Kristen Long,10.7 pts/g) and our goal was to shut them down and get them out of it,” Karcz said. “We knew they were the key players and think we did a pretty good job doing it. We tried to get them frustrated on the offensive and defensive side and I think we did it pretty well.”

Middletown South (23-3, 12-0) is ranked No.13 in the state and fifth in the ultra-competitive Shore Conference which currently has four teams sitting in the top six spots in state polls including No.1 Saint John Vianney and seven teams in the top 15.

Once again this season the Eagles have had to overcome major obstacles that seem to haunt them year-after-year. After losing standout forward Jill Falvy – now playing at Division I St Francis Pa. – right before last year’s season opener, South has been besieged with potential season crippling set-backs this season.

Long-time Eagles head coach Tom Brennan underwent life threatening quadruple heart bypass surgery on December 31 after experiencing chest pains during the Eagles WOBM Christmas Classic quarterfinal win versus Wall on the 27th. Thankfully, Brennan’s health has progressed to the point where he’s slowly working himself back onto the bench in small increments and it shouldn’t be long before he’s back in the full swing of things.

Brennan led Middletown South to the programs first ever NJSIAA Group III title and trip to the Tournament of Champions a year ago when they also won back-to-back Central Jersey Group III titles after winning their first sectional title since 1979 in the 2013-14 season.

After rising above the loss of Falvey last season, the Eagles lost a crucial piece of last season’s program-defining accomplishments when Haley Dalonzo was lost for the year with ACL surgery after just 14 games. Dalonzo, another intense all-around player averaged 11.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.5 steals a game a year ago for the Eagles.

On top of that, All-Class A North pick Julia Valkos has been limited to just 12 games this season due to injuries but is now working her way back into playing shape after returning to the lineup in a win against Red Bank Regional February 26. She looked health Friday, chipping in four points, two rebounds, an assist and two steals, which is great news for the Eagles.

“I think the adversity of everything is what makes us so united in the end,” Balsamo said. “Even though we’ve had so many things happen like coach Brennan then Julia and Haley and a couple of tiny injuries here and there, it makes us stronger because everyone then plays for each other and I think that’s the most important part that we’re playing for each other with a lot of heart.”

The Eagles led by 21 points after three quarters and the lead swelled to 24 after Balsamo’s third three-pointer of the game made it 47-23 with 4:34 left in the game. South emptied the bench with just under four minutes remaining in the rout. Along with her 22 points, Balsamo finished with six boards, two steals and a block and an assist. Freshman guard Isla Brennan added five points, five rebounds, two steals, a blocked shot and an assist.

Middletown South will now host No.3 Neptune in the CJGIII final on Monday, March 7. Neptune (23-3, 13-1) is ranked No.15 in the state and is coming off a 52-38 upset win over second-seeded Ewing in Friday’s semifinals.

“A lot of times teams come in underestimating us but when we come out on the floor they don’t expect the talent we actually have. We’ve overcome so much already in the season that I think if we put our minds to it we can go further than last season. As long as we put our heads down and keep plugging through we can go as far as want to. We want to win this for coach Brennan.”

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