WEST CALDWELL- Volunteer coach Ken Trimmer stood a few feet away and looked on with a smile as he took in the precious celebratory moments commemorating a special achievement that had not occurred since his own Caldwell girls basketball team won a state sectional title 30 years ago.
His point guard on the 1996 Chiefs was the team’s current head coach Amanda Keenan, who now directs her daughter, junior guard Addy, and the rest of a chemistry-laden Caldwell squad that will now see 2026 added to a championship banner in the gymnasium after the home team dominated from start to finish led by their relentless defense and Addy Keenan’s game-high 23 points in a 58-29 victory over 2-time defending sectional champion Madison in Thursday night’s North 2 Group 2 final.
Caldwell (26-2) will now face North 1 champion Glen Rock (23-6) at 7 p.m., Tuesday, in the Group 2 state semifinals at Bloomfield High School. In the other Group 2 semifinal it will be Central Jersey champ Manasquan against South Jersey champ Cinnaminson.
The overall Group 2 state final is set for 4 p.m., next Saturday (March 14) at Rutgers’ Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway.
The Chiefs had lost to Madison, 55-37, last March in the N2G2 final, a contest also played in the James Caldwell High School gym; however, the most recent championship encounter between the two teams was a much different story with a decisive victory for top-seeded Caldwell which jumped out to a quick 9-1 lead in the game’s first four minutes and was never really challenged in roaring to a big, one-sided victory over the third-seeded Dodgers (22-7).
“We knew that we wanted a different ending this year and we had a different ending for sure,” said Coach Keenan. “It always starts with our defense and we just kept working and working and the results were definitely there this time.
“It’s 30 years later after playing for coach Trimmer when we last won a state sectional title, and it’s amazing to now have the opportunity to coach these girls who are such a great group on and off the court and who have made the commitment since last summer to put in the work needed in order to be the best team they can be.”
The Chiefs have dominated through all four of its wins in copping the 2026 N2G2 title, and to cap it off vs. a Madison team that had won three of the previous four state sectional crowns under coach Lisa DiTuro has a special feeling if only because the Dodgers had dominated Caldwell in last year’s pivotal showdown.
Current American University freshman standout Charlotte Tuhy scored 26 points and grabbed 20 rebounds in Madison’s convincing win at Caldwell last March, and there has certainly been a great incentive for the Chiefs to come back last summer to begin their work in order to get to March and achieve their goal of being the championship team this time around.
“After last year, when we fell short, we definitely didn’t want that to happen this year, and we came out hot tonight with that fire in us that we needed to have right from the start,” said Addy Keenan, who sank five 3-pointers among her 23 points. “It’s also huge for me that my mom was the point guard 30 years ago when we last won this title, and you can see how much she knows about the game and is such a great coach leading our team now.
“We executed like we needed to do tonight, and this was definitely a goal for us, but we still have our minds on another prize!”
The defense was stifling from the start against the Dodgers as five different girls scored as Caldwell led 17-8 at the end of the first quarter and then extended the advantage to a commanding 37-16 at the half.
