Dunn joins 500-win club as Old Tappan remains undefeated with win over Ridgewood

Photo Credits: Scott Faytok NJ Advanced Media

Brian Dunn has had a lot of success as the head football coach at Old Tappan High School, and it turns out he’s also pretty good at coaching girls basketball too.

Dunn, who is in his 27th season as the head girls basketball coach, celebrated his 500th career victory on Thursday night with a 47-31 victory over Ridgewood. He now joins a host of other coaches who have reached the milestone, including Chatham’s Joe Gaba, who won his 500th game on Dec. 14.

“All it means is that I’m getting older, to be honest. It feels good to know that I’ve been able to last this long (coaching), I love it,”

Dunn said. “The most important part is it’s meant a lot of relationships developed over a long period of time, so that’s the biggest part of it.

“People say your job isn’t who you are, but it’s kind of who I have been for a long time. I love the place, it’s a great place to work, everybody’s been good to me for a long time. I live right there in the community so it’s nice that I still have all of the connections and see all the people around, former players and parents and all that, so that part is always special. It didn’t take getting to a certain game to make that part special though.”

Dunn coached his very first season at Pascack Hills before moving over to Old Tappan, which is ranked No. 19 in the NJ.com Top 20, and he has been there ever since, winning two Group 3 titles with the Golden Knights in 2016 and 2018.

“Five hundred is even more impressive when you consider the strength of schedule he seeks every year within our league and through independent games,” Old Tappan assistant coach Christine Massaro said. “He could pad his stats and have many more wins if he sought up cupcake games, but he wants to challenge our team and see where we stack up and what we need to improve on. By doing that and maybe taking some tough early season losses, he ensures that the team is battle tested. He’s never about himself or his stats, he sets the tone for a team-first mentality. And what’s more, he always sets the bar at 20 wins at minimum, because that would mean you went deep in counties and state tournament. I know personally from playing for him four years and coaching with him for 19 seasons now. He sets the bar high for Old Tappan basketball.”

Coaching two sports isn’t an easy task, especially two sports that are completely different from each other and require a lot of work, before, during and after the season itself. But Dunn doesn’t shy away from the challenges of coaching two sports in back-to-back seasons, and instead embraces it.

“It’s hard, it’s getting harder every year just from being able to handle all of the things that are required year-round, but I love it, it keeps me busy,” Dunn said. “If I didn’t enjoy it I’d give up one or the other, but I still love doing both. I love coaching two completely different sports, boys and girls, not that I coach them any different, coach them both the same as athletes, but they’re two different animals and I enjoy both of them.”

The win over Ridgewood on Thursday night was the fifth-straight win of the season for the Golden Knights, which also has victories over Holy Angels, Ramapo, Paramus Catholic and Wayne Valley. Old Tappan has held its opponents to an average of 38 points per game so far and are currently atop the Big North National Division.

Senior twins Layla Giordano (16 ppg.) and Maya Giordano (11.8 ppg) lead the team, while Alivia Badurina (5.8 ppg.), Mia Derrico (6.8 ppg.) and Sienna Drullinsky (4.2 ppg.) have also contributed.

“That’s the biggest thing I’m happy about, we played five games in eight days to start the season, and I’ve never done that before in 27 years,” Dunn said. “So that was a grind and I’m really proud of our kids. We’re playing some young kids, some young guards but I have these two twins, the Giordano kids, we always have a shot against anybody with them on the floor, so I’m proud of those kids. Just having them out there and starting the season off the way we did is great, but being around them every day makes the job so fun.”

Source Link: https://www.nj.com/highschoolsports/2023/12/dunn-joins-500-win-club-as-old-tappan-remains-undefeated-with-win-over-ridgewood.html

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Sectional Champs: Old Tappan Rallies Late to Capture North 1 Group 3 Title

Mar 07, 2026

Old Tappan captured the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1 Group 3 championship with a 54 to 45 win over Teaneck, finishing a strong late season surge that started with a challenge from head coach Brian Dunn. Twenty three days earlier, after a loss to Teaneck, Dunn asked his team a direct question. Accept a solid season or push for more. The Golden Knights responded with eight straight wins, including postseason victories over teams that defeated them during the regular season. Old Tappan delivered its biggest response in the sectional final. Teaneck led most of the second half behind a strong performance from Lexi Carnegie, who finished with 23 points. The Highwaywomen built a five point lead entering the fourth quarter and held a 40 to 35 advantage late in the game. Old Tappan flipped the momentum with a decisive 19 to 1 run over the final four minutes. Nina Caunedo ignited the comeback with a three pointer with 4:42 remaining to cut the deficit to three. Alexa Caunedo followed with a basket to bring Old Tappan within one. Alivia Badurina then delivered one of the biggest shots of the night. Her corner three pointer gave the Golden Knights a 42 to 41 lead and shifted the energy fully to the Old Tappan bench. From there Old Tappan controlled the closing minutes at the free throw line. Senior Sienna Drullinsky led the way with a dominant performance of 23 points and 10 rebounds. She carried much of the scoring load early with 18 points through the first three quarters to keep Old Tappan within striking distance. Alexa Caunedo added 12 points while Nina Caunedo finished with 11 points and three three pointers. Badurina chipped in five points including the momentum changing three. Mauimi Quiros added two points at the foul line while Sadie Murphy contributed a free throw during the win. Joley Giordano also saw time on the floor as Old Tappan used contributions across the lineup during the championship run. Teaneck stayed competitive behind Carnegie and Aniya Celestin, who recorded 14 points and 10 rebounds. Old Tappan improved to 22 and 6 with the victory. The Golden Knights won three straight road games to claim the sectional title, their first since 2018, and now advance to face Chatham in the Group 3 state semifinals in Elizabeth.

Old Tappan Proves Prediction Wrong, Upsets No. 10 Demarest in Sectional Semifinals

Mar 04, 2026

Many expected another tight battle when sixth seeded Northern Valley Old Tappan High School Girls Basketball Team faced second seeded Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest for the third time this season in the North Jersey Section 1 Group 3 semifinals. Demarest entered ranked No. 10 in the NJ.com Top 20 and had already beaten Old Tappan twice during the regular season in narrow games, 38-37 and 43-40. The Norsemen also carried strong momentum after winning the Bergen County Tournament championship and taking 22 of their previous 23 games. This time, Old Tappan flipped the result. The Golden Knights produced a dominant defensive performance and stunned Demarest 45-37 Wednesday night in Demarest. Old Tappan’s defense controlled the game from the start. The Golden Knights pressured the ball, contested shooters, and forced Demarest into difficult possessions throughout the night. The effort held the Norsemen to season lows in several statistical categories and limited one of North Jersey’s most consistent offenses to a season low, 37 points. Head coach Brian Dunn made key adjustments in the game plan entering the third meeting between the rivals. After two close losses earlier in the season, Dunn and his staff focused on limiting the areas where Demarest had found success in those matchups. The defensive changes disrupted Demarest’s rhythm and prevented the Norsemen from establishing their usual offensive flow. Sienna Drullinsky led the Golden Knights with 20 points, knocking down seven field goals and six free throws. Alexa Caunedo added 14 points with seven baskets to give Old Tappan a strong scoring duo. Old Tappan received contributions across the lineup. Sadie Murphy finished with 5 points, while Alivia Badurina and Mauimi Quiros each scored 3 points, with Quiros hitting the team’s lone three pointer. Other players who saw action included Nina Caunedo, Christina D'Andrea, and Joley Giordano, who contributed valuable minutes and helped maintain the team’s defensive pressure throughout the game. Demarest received balanced scoring despite the loss. Deana Finkelstein led the Norsemen with 10 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Ella Peck and Zoe Wasserlauf each scored 9 points, while senior Gabriella Mittelman added 5 points and four assists. The win improved Old Tappan to 21-6 and extended the team’s winning streak to seven games. Demarest finished the season 24-4. Old Tappan now advances to the sectional championship against Teaneck High School. The Golden Knights seek their first sectional title since 2018, after proving that beating a strong team three times in one season is rarely easy.

Old Tappan Powers Into Semifinals, Set for Showdown at Demarest

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