Patriots, 11-4, will make return to state tourney
Freehold Township girls hoop squad gains key victories
BY TIM MORRIS Staff Writer
John Sciarappa likes flying under the radar with his Freehold Township High School girls basketball team. The Patriots have been one of the better teams in the Shore Conference and now that they have landed in the state tournament, it may be hard to remain hidden.

The Patriots missed the postseason by one game in 2007 and used that disappointment as their motivation this winter. They fulfilled their goal when they beat Rancocas Valley, 50-37, on Jan. 19.

Senior point guard Adj Tepedino, who had yet to visit postseason playwith the Patriots, was glad the team will be playing a little bit longer this year.

"It's a relief," she said. "It feels good to finally do it. It's pretty big."

She credited the team's experience together. The Pats returned their starting five from last winter and added depth to them.

"We have good chemistry," Tepedino pointed out.

Sciarappa has a very deep squad that allows him to go to the bench frequently and to mix and match. He can go big or small, offensive or defensive, or quick and press teams full court. The depth allows him to have fresh legs on the court at all times.

The Pats used all of their assets in beating Burlington County's Rancocas Valley.

Stephanie Cardamone, Tepedino and Christina Barthel were hot early with each knocking down three-pointers as the team opened up a 28-16 lead at the half.

Cardamone stepped back and nailed a big three at the end of the third quarter to make the score 38-32. It was the start of a 12-0 run that carried over into the fourth quarter that put the game away.

Like any team looking to play tournament basketball, the Patriots responded to adversity.

Barthel hit her season's average, 14, in leading the Patriots. Kayla Borden and Cardamone each had 11.

Off the bench, Lindsey Sai hit a threepointer that was part of the 12-0 run.

Freehold Township will have an 11-4 record at Saturday's cutoff date for teams to qualify for the state tournament by being at or above .500.

Cardamone (12) and Kayla Borden (11) teamed up for 23 points as the Patriots toppedMarlboro, 50-39, on Jan. 24 for their 11th win of the season.