Gloucester Catholic coach Lisa Gedaka directed her team to a 26-5 record and a state final appearance in her 35th season at the helm of the Lady Rams. Gloucester Catholic was defeated by Montclair Immaculate, 41-30, in the Non-Public B state final at Jersey Mike's Arena on the campus of Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey on Friday, March 14, 2024. Collin Conway/D2 Sports Network
PISCATAWAY - Despite not having a senior on the roster, the Gloucester Catholic High School girls basketball team had a date with Montclair Immaculate in the New Jersey Non-Public B state final.
The Lady Rams were a victim of defeat at the hands of Immaculate, 41-30. Regardless of the outcome, the entire roster will return a year older next season with the level of experience, not many teams spoiled with young talent may acquire.
"It was a cool experience for us to play here," Jalyn Moore said. "I wish the outcome was different but there's a lot to be proud of this season. It hurts to lose this game but I think we'll definitely be back next year."
Junior Jahzara Green posted a team-high nine points in the loss while Moore chipped in seven. Monet High and Amanda Eggers added to the scoring with a pair of three-pointers each during critical moments of the contest.
Gloucester Catholic ended the season with a 26-5 record including a Tri-County Classic division title and the program's first sectional title under head coach Lisa Gedaka who has been at the helm for 35 years. Gedaka, South Jersey's all-time wins leader, now sports a 735-222 record spending all 35 of her head coaching years at Gloucester Catholic.
"This is one of the hardest working teams I've ever coached," Gedaka said. "These girls put in the work to improve like no other. We'll use the lessons we learned today to make sure next year we change the result. We'll hopefully be at full strength after a few girls missed almost the entire season this year like Kendall Scott and Yaz Shumate."
The team's leading scorer this season, Green, eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in her junior campaign. Not many high school players can say they hit the milestone before their senior season but Green is one with that privilege.
"It was just another game for me," Green said. "I try not to let playing in these big games or loud atmospheres get to me. Next year we're going to be better after playing a tough schedule like we did this year."
As a team, the Lady Rams knocked down 164 three-pointers, hauled in 759 rebounds, dished out 355 assists, and plucked away 257 steals for the season. In total, Gloucester Catholic scored 1,846 points and allowed 1,187 points. The team's other two leading scorers outside of Green consist of junior Talia Shumate and sophomore Eggers who poured in 324 and 301 points respectively.
Shumate is a stalwart in the paint while Eggers is a sharpshooter from beyond the arc. Shumate averaged 11.2 points per game along with 7.2 rebounds per game while Eggers averaged 11.6 points per game with an average of knocking down 2.5 three-pointers per game.
Wins for Gloucester Catholic this season include the Philadelphia Catholic League's Cardinal O'Hara, South Jersey Group 4 champion Cherokee, South Jersey Group 4 finalist Lenape, South Jersey Group 3 finalist Moorestown, perennial Non-Public B powerhouse Rutgers Prep, and a clean sweep of the Tri-County Conference Classic Division.
"I think playing a super difficult schedule got us to this point," Lisa Gedaka said. "I want to try and challenge the girls every game I can. You don't get to this point playing an easy schedule and not preparing for the playoffs."
"We're going to look at today as a lesson and not a loss. Day one of practice next season we're going to be motivated the whole season."
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