Coach's green light leads to Freehold Borough's offense becoming balanced
BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer

It's never easy losing a game at the buzzer, especially if you are young and looking to establish an identity.

Freehold Borough High School's girls were looking to make the 2006-07 season one in which they joined the ranks of the Shore's best teams. But when the Colonials opened the season last month with a loss at home at the buzzer to Neptune, it wasn't a promising way to start to make their case.

Head coach Jen Brzucki made sure that her team did not let that loss linger.

"I told them they are a very young team, we're going to learn from this and make adjustments and beat them the second time," said Brzucki. "We're going to take it one game at a time and focus on that individual team we're playing."

Since Brzucki's post-game talk with her team, the Colonials have gone 7-0. They've won the Kuhnert Holiday Basketball Tournament and beat Shore power Monmouth Regional to stay in contention for the Shore Conference B North Division title.

The Kuhnert win was especially satisfying because it's named for the late Jack Kuhnert, the great Freehold Borough boys basketball coach. The Colonials had not won the tournament since 1997.

"It was nice to bring it back to the school," Brzucki said of the Kuhnert victory.

But it was a win over defending division champion Monmouth Regional, 61-49, that signaled that the Colonials were ready to join the Shore's elite.

While Shannon Mayrose, the Kuhnert MVP, scored 21 points and pulled down 15 rebounds, it was the supporting cast that made the difference. Freshman Sehmonyeh Allen poured in 19 and point guard Alexandra Eagle continued her increased point production with 13.

Last year, while going 15-10, the Colonials were carried by Shannon and her sister Alyssa Mayrose. They accounted for the bulk of the offense with everyone else playing a smaller role. Brzucki has changed that.

"Everyone has the green light to shoot," she remarked. "It's very important for them to know that I won't pull them out after a missed shot or a turnover."

The Mayroses are still leading the team in scoring, but they are getting considerable help this year. The Colonials have become more balanced.

Allen has been a key addition.

"She's handled starting well," said Brzucki. "She has been pretty consistent for a freshman."

Point guard Eagle has become even more dangerous because she has added scoring to her passing and defensive talents.

"She leads out there," said Brzucki. "She leads by example. She calls out the plays and distributes the ball."

By becoming a double-digit scorer, she is forcing teams to defend her like a scorer, creating more passing opportunities for her.

Ashley Lewis is one of the top three-point shooters in the Shore, and she has benefited from the new offense that is creating more opportunities behind the arc for her. She is more than a set-shooter and can take the ball to the basket.

The starting five, which includes four members of the girls' state championship soccer team, knows what it takes to be successful.

"They are excellent all-around athletes; they want to win and they play very hard," said Brzucki.

The Colonial bench is deep. Jackie Scalgione, Breege Boyer, Kasarah Hernandez, Simone Dixon and Zoey Zweber have been the mainstays of a bench has that gotten the call often.

"I'm very happy with the bench," Brzucki pointed out.

While Freehold Borough's offense has been more balanced, the Colonials have become more complex on defense, throwing a variety of looks at teams.

"We're mixing it up on defense," said Brzucki. "We're still learning."

With all of their success, it's easy to forget just how young the Colonials are. Alyssa Mayrose is the only senior in the starting lineup; sister Shannon, Eagle and Lewis are sophomores; and Allen is a freshman. That is hardly good news for the Colonials' opponents.