Marlboro-St. John Vianney headlines Super Saturday

JERRY WOLKOWITZ Marlboro’s Brina Pollack goes up for a shot during the top-ranked Mustangs’ 59-32 win in Manalapan on Friday night.

Craig Uplinger doesn’t worry about his Marlboro Mustangs going through the motions during practices. With teams the caliber of St. John Vianney, Christ the King and Our Lady of Lourdes on their upgraded schedule, the Mustangs know they must bring their best.

As the undefeated team ranked No. 1 in the state and 17th nationally, the Mustangs know that teams have them circled on their schedule and that they will get everyone’s best shot.

On Saturday night, in a game with state-ranking implications, the Mustangs will travel to Roselle Catholic High School, where they will meet No. 2 SJV as part of the Coalition to House the Homeless triple-header. (Notre Dame meets Union at 5 p.m., followed by Marlboro-SJV at 6:40, and at 8:30, it’s host Roselle Catholic against Union Catholic.)

The Lancers, who have been the state’s premier program for a dozen years, winning more Tournament of Champions titles than any other school, are in the unusual position of underdog and will be looking to make the most of it.

SJV’s trademark over the years has been its fullcourt pressure defense, and this year, the 12-1 Lancers are at it again. They have been energized by freshman point guard Shantel Brown, who has joined a veteran team led by Chris Wittlieb.

The top-ranked Mustangs can play defense themselves. Just ask previously undefeated Rumson-Fair Haven. In the Battle on the Boardwalk in Asbury Park, the Mustangs and guard Sharnee Zoll turned up the heat on the Bulldogs and outscored RFH 30-12 in the second half.

Uplinger was pleased with all facets of his team that day, save the shooting. That led to an early 7-0 Bulldog lead and visions on their part of an upset. But the ’Stangs would find their range as the game progressed and then completely shut RFH down in the second half.

Marlboro followed that win up on Jan. 22 with a 63-35 win at Freehold Township. That victory put Mustangs in total command of the Shore Conference A North Division. They are 9-0 in the division, and the Pats are 6-2.

Everything is beginning to fall into place for the 15-0 Mustangs. Role players Jenna Gatto, Christie Kastner, Sarah Tanen and Jenna Massiello are giving the team balance in support of Zoll (5.6 apg) Chakhia Cole (16.3 ppg) and Brina Pollack (14.4 ppg).

Wittlieb (16.4 ppg) can score inside or outside, and Brown has been superb in distributing the ball. In Shannon Coyle, the Lancers have one of the Shore’s top three-point shooters, along with Wittlieb. They have combined for 35 three-pointers and can stretch defenses with their long-range shooting.

For both Marlboro and St. John Vianney, the offense begins on the defensive end. Both teams like to demoralize opponents by converting turnovers in easy transition baskets. Both are lethal in the open floor, but none are as devastating at Marlboro, which has the 5-9 Cole, a forward who runs like the wind and who can pull down a rebound and lead the fastbreak.

This game will be a battle of wills decided by which team can handle the other’s defense better.

Chances are, this will not be the only meeting of these two giants. They could well meet at the Shore Conference Tournament, and if both experience state tournament success, there is the TOC farther down the road. But first things first, and on Saturday night, we’ll find out which team is No. 1 for now.