Saturday, March 14, 2026
Manasquan vs Caldwell, 4 p.m. At Rutgers University
Teams at a Glance
Caldwell (27-2)
Head Coach: Amanda Keenan
Last State Championship: Never
Last State Championship Appearance: 1996
Total State Championships: 0
Road to the Final: Defeated No. 16 Harrison, 64-18; No. 9 Ridgefield Park, 60-20; No. 4 Voorhees, 67-44; No. 3 Madison, 58-29; North 1 Champion Glen Rock, 68-43
Projected Starters
Fallon Fiore, So., (5.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 3.9 steals)
Addison Keenan, Jr., (18.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 4.1 steals)
Tea Fiore, Sr., (17.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 3.6 steals)
Elena Kearns, So., (5.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.9 steals)
Aaliyah Rodriguez, So., (3.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.7 steals)
Off the Bench
Adriana Brown, So., (3.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists)
Scarlett Schlomann, Fr., (2.7 points, 1.0 rebounds, 1.2 steals)
Caldwell head coach Amanda Keenan is trying to finish what she started as a player back in 1996 when she was still known as Amanda Petronacio. She was the point guard on Caldwell’s first and only team to appear in a state championship game. Despite her best attempts, the Chiefs wound up losing a 42-39 heartbreaker to a Point Boro team led by standout Suzanne Manzi. Exactly 30 years later, Keenan will get another chance to make history, this time with her daughter, junior guard Addison Keenan, on the floor.
One of the top scorers in North Jersey, Addison Keenan has 1,444 career points and will likely surpass 2,000 career points next year if she finishes anywhere near here averages from the past two seasons. The junior has converted on 77 total three-pointers this season including a season-high of eight against Voorhees in the sectional semifinals. Keenan is averaging over 24 points per game in five state tournament appearances, all of which were lopsided games with the game well in hand during the fourth quarter.
The secondary scorer for the Chiefs is senior guard Tea Fiore. Fiore sits at just under 1,300 points for her career. While Fiore has 27 three-pointers on the season, she does most of her damage from inside the arc with 176 two-pointers. Tea’s sister Fallon is the team’s top passer and an excellent defender.
Caldwell did not play the parochial powers that Manasquan has faced, but they have tested themselves against some very good teams. The Chiefs defeated Newark Arts 54-48, a team that is playing in the Group 1 State Championship. They split with University, a sectional finalist. They have two victories over Glen Rock who was the North 1 Group 2 sectional champion. Their other loss was to West Orange, a Group 4 sectional champion, in a 64-53 game. In their lone matchup against a Shore Conference team, Caldwell defeated Central Jersey Group 3 champion Colts Neck 53-37.
The Chiefs are similar to Manasquan in that they are not a very tall team, but they have a handful of guards that handle the ball really well, shoot, and have a ton of team speed. Caldwell has come away with an astounding 501 steals on the season at a rate of 17.3 per game. Their philosophy has been to heavily pressure teams, play fast, and overwhelm their opponents. As their 27-2 record indicates, it has been a very good strategy to this point.
Manasquan (25-5)
Head Coach: Lisa Kukoda
Last State Championship: 2025
Last State Championship Appearance: 2025
Total State Championships: 11
Road to the Final: Defeated No. 16 Ocean, 56-23; No. 9 Spotswood, 54-34; No. 13 Metuchen, 53-18; No. 2 Rumson-Fair Haven, 51-23; South Champion Cinnaminson, 36-33
Projected Starters
Jordyn Hollawell, Sr., 5-6 (14.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 2.7 steals)
Shannon Looney, Sr., 5-8 (9.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.2 steals)
Calista Vowteras, So., 5-7 (9.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.7 steals)
Paige Donnelly, Jr., 5-9 (2.5 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.1 steals)
Rose LaTesta, Jr., 5-9 (5.3 points, 3.2 rebounds)
Off the Bench
Abigail Dwyer, So., 5-10 (2.1 points, 1.3 rebounds)
Lily Johnson, Sr., 5-7 (1.7 points)
Logan McCarthy, Sr., 5-5 (1.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.3 steals)
Reece Rampone, So.,
Molly O’Boyle, So.
Caroline Watson, Jr., 5-4
In the state semifinal, Manasquan played its poorest game of the season. The Warriors were in foul trouble early, turned the ball over numerous times, and missed shots that they normally make. Despite all of that, they proved they could fight through adversity and find a way to win the game against a very good Cinnaminson team. Head coach Lisa Kukoda will have used that game film by now to correct their mistakes and will have the team prepared to fight for its third straight state championship.
Lisa Kukoda coaching Manasquan in the Group 2 semifinal at Monroe High School. 3/10/26 Photo by Patrick Olivero
As the perennial power has done for the last decade and a half, Manasquan graduated outstanding players and developed new stars. Senior guard Jordyn Hollawell took another step and emerged as one of the top players in the Shore Conference. Hollawell is one of the few players in the state to lead their team in scoring, rebounding, assists, and steals. She might very well be the only player on one of the state’s elite teams to lead in every category.
Jordyn Hollawell finished with 13 points in the Group 2 semifinal at Monroe High School. 3/10/26 Photo by Patrick Olivero
Senior guard Shannon Looney has been a steady secondary scorer and has made big-time plays all season long. No play was bigger than the backdoor cut she scored on to give the Warriors the lead at the the end of the Cinnaminson game.
Paige Donnelly (Left) celebrating with Shannon Looney (right) after Looney put Manasquan up 33-31 in the 4th quarter. 3/10/26 Photo by Patrick Olivero
Sophomore guard Calista Vowteras emerged as the third leading scorer and will be the Warriors star player of the future. She was saddled with foul trouble against Cinnaminson but still managed to finish with eight points.
Manasquan’s Calista Vowteras (#15) cheers on her team (Photo by Patrick Olivero)
The Warriors rotation is unbelievably deep with a myriad of players capable of producing and making big plays on any given night. Players like Donnelly, LaTesta, McCarthy and others are all very good defenders and are not afraid to mix it up against anyone. Last game it was sophomore forward Reece Rampone who hit an early three-pointer to help jump-start the offense.
Like Caldwell, Manasquan prefers to play fast. Ball movement, defense, and team speed are a strength for the Warriors. They matchup well with a speedy Caldwell lineup that will attempt to pressure the ball and get in the passing lanes. Typically, the Warriors are at a size disadvantage against the top teams on their schedule so it will be a welcome change to play a team of similar height across the board. Manasquan has an edge in big-game experience having played in this game at Rutgers University each of the last two seasons.
The Match-Up
Manasquan will labeled as the favorite due to their decade and a half of dominance in this group and a resume that features more wins against top teams than Caldwell. The Warriors’ strength program is as good as any basketball team in New Jersey and it shows up on the court where they routinely out-hustle teams to loose balls, establish favorable positioning on the court, box-out for rebounds, and protect the basketball. No team has done a better job of winning in the margins and doing the little things than Manasquan.
Caldwell is not likely to see Manasquan play as poorly as it did in the semifinal round so if the Chiefs want to walk away with their first state championship they are going to have to play their best basketball.
If Manasquan can win the turnover battle, they will be very likely to win the game as it is Caldwell’s biggest strength. The Warriors also need to have a strong game out of their front court which has the potential to turn the tide of the game by creating second chances on offense rebounds and scoring baskets in the paint.
The Chiefs need to do what they do best and force the Warriors into errant passes. Transition opportunities would be huge for Caldwell since Manasquan is one of the hardest defenses to score on when they are set up in the half court. Caldwell has hit more three-pointers than Manasquan this year and will need to continue that trend in this one.
Until a North Jersey team finally proves they can defeat Manasquan in this game, we are rolling with the Warriors.
Nick’s Pick: Manasquan 45-38