Trenton tops Cougars in CJ final showdown
Colts Neck's 26-game win streak snapped by talented Tornadoes
BY TIM MORRIS Staff Writer
John Truhan got what he wanted from his Colts Neck High School girls basketball team. "I wanted us to go down swinging and not be passive," the coach of the Cougars said.

PHOTOS BY ERIC SUCAR staff Above: Colts Neck High School's Lauren Clarke tries to get off a shot before Trenton Central High School's Alexis Sweet can block it during the third quarter of the Central Jersey Group IV championship game at Sayreville War Memorial High School on March 4. The Cougars lost to Trenton, 59-49. Below: Colts Neck's Brittany Howes prepares to shoot a free throw during the championship game.

The Cougars were anything but passive in the March 4 NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV final against defending champion Trenton Central. The young Cougars (the starting five were all sophomores) played with a resolve that gave the veteran Tornadoes all they wanted before falling 59-49 at Sayreville Memorial High School in Middlesex County.

The marquee matchup of once-beaten state-ranked teams lived up to expectations as both teams played to their strengths.

The Tornadoes used their size advantage up front, getting the ball inside to the forwards and pounding the offensive glass. They also used their size to block more than a dozen shots.

Trenton also had a quickness that the Cougars hadn't seen all year. Passing lanes that were open against everyone else were closed, leading to several steals and deflections. That quickness also kept offensive rebounds alive, enabling the Tornadoes to get second and third chances.

"They have the quickest hands of any team I've seen," said Truhan.

The Cougars, meanwhile, were fearless. They were not intimidated by Trenton's shot-blocking skills or the Tornadoes'' quickness. They did what they do best - put the ball in the hands of their guards Brooke Hampton and Lauren Clarke and let them make plays.

Trenton looked for an early knockout in racing to a 7-1 lead and displaying a pretty lethal transition game.

But, the Cougars came back. A threepoint shot from the top of the key by Hampton cut the Tornadoes' lead to 11-10.

Again, the Tornadoes came back behind the inside play of Sierra Mendenhall and took a 19-10 lead early in the second quarter.

A long three-pointer by Clarke started a Colts Neck rally that brought the Cougars back to within 27-23, at the half.

Trenton would build the lead to 10, 44- 34, in the third quarter with Mendenhall and Leola Spotwood doing the damage.

But the Cougars would not go away. They went to fullcourt pressure in the fourth quarter that ignited a 10-2 spurt. Back-to-back baskets by Hampton had the Cougars down 46-44 with 5:36 to play.

After getting the lead back up to six, 50-44, on baskets by Spotwood and Mendenhall, Trenton Coach Reggie Murray decided to take the air out of the ball and the game by pulling the ball out and running a delay game.

It almost backfired as the Cougars forced three straight turnovers. However, they were only able to get a free throw each from Brittany Howes and Clarke and still trailed by five, 51-46, with 2:08 to play.

Trenton extended its lead at the foul line. Clarke gave Colts Neck one last chance by hitting a three from the corner to make it 55-49 with just over 1:00 to play.

Alexis Sweet and Spotwood combined for four free throws in the final minute to produce the 10-point margin at the end.

Trenton (28-1) got 19 points from Spotwood, 15 points from Mendenhall and 11 more from Sweet. The Tornados were 18- 24 from the free throw line.

Clarke delivered a game-high 20 points for the Cougars (28-2). Hampton had 13 points and Emily Lawrence had nine.

Colts Neck beat Freehold Township, 42-23, and Hunterdon Central, 56-46, on its way to the Central Jersey final.

The loss to Trenton ended a school-record 26-game winning streak for the Cougars.

"I'm very proud of them," Truhan said. "This loss won't take away from what we accomplished this year. We've raised the bar."

That the Cougars did for sure. Starting in December when they beat Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School in the WOBM Classic final, the Cougars were unstoppable.

After losing to Howell in the first week off the season, Colts Neck went through the rest of December, all of January and all of February without a loss. The Cougars avenged the loss to Howell in the rematch and shared the Shore Conference A North Division title with the Rebels.

Colts Neck's biggest win was in the Shore Conference Tournament (SCT), beating Rumson in triple overtime in the semifinals and topping defending champion Red Bank Catholic in the title game (that was Truhan's 100th career win). The Cougars were the first Freehold Regional High School District team to win the SCT since Freehold Township in 1980.

In addition to being the No. 1 team in the Shore Conference, the Cougars were ranked as high as No. 6 in the state, another first for a program that has established itself as one of the top programs in the state, and the best may still be ahead.