Put-back at the buzzer ends Colonials season
Neptune edges Freehold Boro in CJ III final
BY TIM MORRIS Staff Writer
Best of seven anyone? If the NJSIAA Central Jersey basketball tournament was a best-ofseven series, the Freehold Borough girls would be in the driver's seat holding a 3-1 lead.

Unfortunately, the Central JerseyGroup III tourney is one-and-done, and the Colonials' lone loss toNeptune after three earlier wins came in the sectional final.

"On any given night any team can win," said Freehold Borough head coach Jen Brzucki. "Tonight it was our night to lose."

Neptune defeated Freehold Borough, 56-54, on a put-back by Marley Mauvais as the buzzer went off ending a back-andforth thriller. Every time the Colonials looked like they were seizing control of the game, the Fliers would bounce back.

Unlike the previous three games won by Freehold Borough, Neptune played at a more deliberate tempo and didn't try to run the floor with the Colonials. That was the game plan, according to Neptune head coach John Brown.

"We decided we didn't want to run with them," he explained. "If we could keep the game in the 40s or 50s, we had a chance."

There was something else that Brown told his Fliers. When he was playing college ball at Ramapo, his team was in the same situation as Neptune. It had lost three times to Kean during the season and met a fourth time in the national tournament. Ramapo won and advanced.

"I told them [the Fliers] that we were so focused, we believed we couldn't lose," he recalled.

The Fliers took the court with that same focus lastweek and it kept themfromfalling apart when the Colonials had the lead.

The first crisis was when the Colonials' QuasonnaMoore started the second quarter with a three-point play extending the Colonials lead to 20-11. Surely, itwas just amatter of time before Freehold Borough would build a comfortable double-digit lead.

Instead, taking advantage of the absence of ShannonMayrose (who picked up two early fouls), the Fliers went on a 10-0 run that gave them a 25-22 lead. Guard Shakena Richardson, who would haunt the Colonials all night with her Iversonlike quickness and dribbling, sparked the comeback with her passing. Throughout the game she was able to get a step on the Colonials' defense off the dribble and would either pull up for a quick jumper, finish at the basket or find an open Flier under the basket when the Colonials collapsed around her.

Mayrose showed her value when she returned to actionwith 2:35 left in the half and Freehold responded toNeptune's spreewith its own 10-0 run and a 32-25 lead.

Neptune's Natasha Williams beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer from the corner, and Neptune trailed by only four, 32-28, at the half.

In the third quarter, Freehold Borough stretched the lead to eight, 38-30, but the Fliers came back behind Richardson and Mauvais, who was beginning to assert herself up front.

"Marley is the difference when she's in the paint, rebounding and scoring," said Brown.

The final period began with Neptune very much in the game, trailing by 38-36. It had to be an uncomfortable feeling for the Colonials, who had dominated the Fliers in their previous three games.

The fourth quarter would be all about making plays as the teams traded baskets. The Colonials looked toMayrose and Sehmonyeh Allen when they had mismatches in the paint. Syessence Davis, Richardson's backcourt partner, began to break the Colonials down like her. She scored seven straight Flier points and pulled the team to within 46-45 with 4:22 remaining.

Richardson scored on a floater with 3:15 left in the game to giveNeptune its first lead since 4-3 in the first quarter, 49-48.

Mayrose and Richardson traded baskets and the Fliers still led 51-50.

Moore, who played an outstanding game on both ends of the floor, put Freehold Borough back on top 52-51. Davis made one of two free throws to tie it

at 52, and Mayrose, off a nice feed from Moore, gave Freehold its

final lead, 54-52.

Davis tied the game at 54

with another drive to the basket

with just 1:07 left in the

game.

Freehold Borough turned the ball over with 42.9 seconds remaining and Neptune went for the last shot.

The Fliers put the ball in Richardson's hands with 13 seconds remain.

Her floater didn't drop this time. It was under the basket and Mauvais got her hands on the ball with three seconds left. She was able to put the shot up before the buzzer and the ball fell through twine as the clock read :00.

It was Neptune that was the Central Jersey Group III champions.

"Shannon got in foul trouble early, and defensively we weren't at our best," said Brzucki. "Give credit to them [Richardson and Davis], they drove on us."

The trio of Davis (17), Richard (16) and Mauvais (14) did all the damage for the 21-6 Fliers.

Mayrose, despite the early foul trouble, had 16 for the Colonials. Moore had 15 and Allen had 10

Itwas a disappointing ending to a 22-win season for Freehold Borough (22-5). The Colonials won their first Shore Conference Division title (B North) in 28 years and reached their first state sectional final.

Among the starting five, Moore is the only senior, but the Colonials still have a big upside.

Freehold Borough beat defending champion Willingboro, which had eliminated the Colonials in '07, in overtime (62- 54) and Middletown South (71-58), on its way to the sectional final.