For the second consecutive year,  Brookdale Community College is heading back to the Region XIX title game thanks in part to 13 point performances by Tia Curtis (Tinton Falls, NJ/Monmouth Regional) and Kerrianne Cassarello (Keansburg, NJ/Keansburg). The Jersey Blues, who went into tonight's contest undefeated and the top seed in the Region XIX women's basketball tournament, ousted the number four seed Cumberland County College by a score of 56-49. Cumberland ends its season at 21-9 while Brookdale continues their path to perfection, at 24-0.

"You have to hand it to Cumberland. Those ladies came out to play and brought their A game. We had to work very hard for every point," commented Brookdale co-head coach Joanne Cobb.

Brookdale managed to connect on only 32.1 percent (18-56) of its field goal attempts, including a 33.3 percent clip during the first half. Freshman point guard Vicky DeTata (Brick, NJ/Brick) worked for 10 of her 12 total points in the opening 20 minutes.

Casarello came in off the bench and scored the Jersey Blues' final six points of the opening stanza, within the final three possessions. Her scoring surge included a trey as time expired to lead thee squad into the locker room with a 33-28 advantage.

"We got great play from Kerrianne off the bench today," added Cobb. "She was clutch when we needed her and really helped out our team in the rebound game."

The game saw four lead changes, all within the first half. In the final period, however, Michelle Blum (Howell, NJ/Howell) came out the gate, making good on a three-pointer and the Jersey Blues never looked back.

"This was our closest game this season. Cumberland made me, and my teammates, work that much harder to win. I'm glad that we all came together for the win," said Cassarello, following her team-high performance.

"It was a wake-up call for us and it great to know that that I was able to contribute. We're ready now for it (the Region XIX Championship game) because we know what we have to lose and we understand that it can happen in any game," continued the Keansburg product.

And wake-up call it was, as the win was Brookdale's lowest scoring output of the year. The Dukes held Region XIX's highest-scoring team 18.6 points below their 74.6 points per game scoring average.

Cumberland didn’t go away until the game’s closing minutes, either. Kyana McCarthy proved to be almost too much for Broookdale in the closing minutes, scoring a team-high 14 points for Cumberland, all of which came in the second half.

The Jersey Blues look to defend their title when they face Passaic in the Region XIX championship game on Monday, March 1st at 7:00 p.m. where the victor will go on to the NJCAA Division III National Championship in Rochester, MN. The Jersey Blues currently hold a 2-0 advantage over Passaic.