Cougars looking to join Shore area’s top programs
Colts Neck girls
are 10-3
BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer

MIGUEL JUAREZ staff Colts Neck’s Meighan Kelly goes up for a basket during the Cougars’ win over Central Regional on Friday in Colts Neck.

With the scholastic basketball season reaching the midpoint, the Colts Neck girls are ready to take off.

Friday night’s 60-39 win against Central Regional (6-7) at home lifted the Cougars to 10-3 on the season and has coach John Truhan happy with the team’s progress.

"I’m kind of pleased with the way we’ve played," he said. "The best thing is that we’re only going to get better."

The Cougars were hitting on all cylinders from the tip-off against the visiting Golden Eagles. They raced out to a 24-8 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. Guard Meighan Kelly was in control of this one on both ends of the floor. In addition to her game-high 23 points, she was the distributor in the half-court offense and fueled the team’s running game with her harassing defense.

Catherine Cristino put in 18 points in the nondivision win.

Kelly, who plays the point, is perpetual motion on the hardwood and has been the Cougars’ catalyst. As good as she is running the offense (five assists a game) with her passing and court vision, she is even more of a force on the defensive end. That has caught Truhan, in his first year as the Cougars’ head coach, by surprise.

"I didn’t realize how strong a defensive player she is and how much energy she has," Truhan said. "She neutralizes the other team’s best player."

Kelly is the top thief in the Shore, averaging more than eight steals a game, and her ball-hawking skills prompted one opposing coach to tell Truhan that their game plan was to keep Kelly from double-digit steals. Truhan noted that he’s never had a coach refer to that stat before. Because of her steals, she has registered triple-doubles already this year.

With Kelly as the spark, the Cougars are a very aggressive defensive team that takes chances on defense. Those chances usually result in turnovers.

Forwards Cristino and Caitlin Burton do most of the work under the glass.

Cristino, still just a sophomore, is leading the Cougars in scoring (13 points per game) and can score inside or outside. That versatility has made her a difficult matchup for teams. She is very good at getting to the foul line and very good at knocking them down, shooting at 75 percent. Burton has probably been the most consistent scorer on the team, averaging 12 points a game in the paint.

Colts Neck’s players have made the adjustment well to a new coach. Truhan remarked that the Cougars are starting to recognize their mistakes on the court and not repeat them. They are focused and have learned that they have to bring their A game every night.

The Cougars’ only losses this season have been to Marlboro (in the Jack Kuhnert Holiday Tournament final), Red Bank Catholic and Rumson-Fair Haven. All three are ranked in the top 10 in the state."We got off to slow starts in our three losses," noted Truhan. "We have to try and correct that.

"In other games, we’ve been jumping on people early, coming out with intensity."

Against the state powerhouses, Truhan remarked, he believes the Cougars let the magnitude of the game get to them, and they played tentatively in the opening minutes.

They will get the chance to do something about that this week as they take on Red Bank Catholic and Rumson-Fair Haven in A Central Division games. Colts Neck plays at Rumson tomorrow night (6 p.m.) and is at RBC on Monday (5:30 p.m.).

"We’re closing the gap every day," said Truhan, who registered his 100th career win on Jan. 20 against Freehold Borough.

With their first-ever win at Manasquan and one on the road against Wall, the Cougars have taken big steps toward joining the Shore area’s top programs this winter.

"We’ve shown we can win on the road," Truhan said.

The Cougars have won a state sectional title (Central Jersey Group I), but have never been considered an elite team in the Shore. One of the goals of this squad is to do just that, and they are well on their way, ranked seventh this week.

"We are raising the bar," Truhan said. "We want to take it to another level."

A win or two over Rumson or RBC would go a long way toward securing that ranking.