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Freehold Boro wins Kuhnert title
Gerbehy leads Colonials by Manasquan
BY TIM MORRIS Staff Writer
In case his team needed a reminder, head coach Ben DiBiase had the program biography of the late Jack Kuhnert taped to his player's individual lockers prior to tip-off of the Dec. 30 Kuhnert Holiday Basketball Tournament final against Manasquan. On the bottom, he wrote, "Know what you're playing for."

CHRIS KELLY staff Freehold Boro's Andrew Gerbehey tries to put up two against Manasquan in the title game of the Jack Kuhnert Holiday Basketball Tournament at Freehold High School on Dec. 30.

The holiday tournament is named in the memory of Kuhnert, who passed away in 1997. The legendary head basketball coached the Colonials right up to his death. Since the tournament was renamed for him (it was the Freehold Regional Holiday Tournament), the Colonials had only brought the championship trophy back to the Borough once (1999). This group of Colonials believed it was time to honor the school's former coach and teacher and return to the trophy to its home.

"This is our tournament and it was important for us to advance," said guard Brandon Brown. "We all spoke of him [Kuhnert] and the championships he won."

Motivated by the desire to honor Kuhnert and to win a championship, the Colonials held off Manasquan to win the title for the first time in nine years, 72-67.

Freehold rode the hot hand of Andrew Gerbehey and a balanced attack behind him to the popular win at Freehold Borough.

"We didn't play our best game," said Gerbehey, who scored game-high 23 points. "But, we played with a lot of heart.

"We had a quickness advantage and tried to use it," he added.

Point guard Lance McKenzie made sure that the Colonials used their speed to create space for shooters like Gerbehey and, to run at every opportunity.

"They had a size advantage," he pointed out. "We wanted to spread them out and use our quickness."

Gerbehy netted nine points in a seesaw first quarter that had the Colonials up by one, 13-12.

"I'm playing with a lot of confidence," said Gerbehy. "My teammates believe in me."

The teams were not separated by more than two points in the second quarter until Brown launched a long 3-pointer at the buzzer. When it dropped through the basket, the Colonials had a 29-26 lead.

Christian Garcia, hampered by foul trouble in the first half, went to work in the third for the Colonials. He and Gerbehy led an 8-0 run that finally opened some daylight between the teams. The Colonials led by nine, 37-28.

Manasquan didn't advance to the Kuhnert final undefeated because it couldn't handle adversity. The Warriors came back behind Adam Cook and closed within three, 43-40, on a traditional three-point play by Rob Forst.

Brown again beat the buzzer on a floater and the Colonials led by five, 45-40.

Gerbehy heated up again in the fourth quarter and his back-to-back 3-pointers stretched the lead back to nine (53-44).

Matt Vadas, who carried Manasquan in the fourth quarter, responded with a 3-pointer, but Will Howarth replied with a 3-pointer that kept the lead at a safe nine points.

"We trust one another," noted Gerbehy. "We have a lot of talent. There are five or six guys who could lead us in scoring. That makes us a tough team to play."

Manasquan will attest to that. Vadas kept attacking, however, and the Warriors got to within three in the last minute. But free throws from Brown, Gerbehy and McKenzie sealed it for Freehold.

Behind's Gerbehy's 23 points, McKenzie scored 11 and Garcia 10. Howarth and Brown each had eight. Freehold Borough improved to 4-0 heading into the new year.

Vadas had 19 for the Warriors and Cook had 15. Manasquan fell to 4-1.

For all the offensive heroics, it was tried and true defense that was the difference. In Kyle Wehner, the Warriors have one of the top long-range shooters in the Shore. He had fueled the team's run to the title game. But, with players like McKenzie and Brown shadowing him, he didn't score a single point.

Gerbehy was named the tournament Most Valuable Player. Completing the All-Tournament Team were his teammates Brown and McKenzie and Manasquan's Vadas and Freehold Township's Matt Devine.

Although they were only five or six when Kuhnert passed away, the Colonial players are very aware of what he meant to the school and the basketball program.

"This is very big," said Garcia. "He was a teacher at our school and the basketball coach. We did it for him and his memory."

Gerbehy said the championship was "very big" for the Colonials.

"We wanted to do it for him and his memory," he said.

Counting the 10 titles that Kuhnert won when this tournament was the Freehold RegionalDistrict tourney, the Colonials have now won the title 12 times, more than anyone else.

With the Colonial girls having beaten Freehold Township in their final that preceded the boy's final, for the first time since the tournament was named for Jack Kuhnert, Freehold Borough won both championships.

Getting to the Dec. 30 final was not an easy task for either the Colonials or Warriors.

Freehold Borough held off its archrival from crosstown Freehold Township, 72-65, and Manasquan needed two overtimes to get by a young Colts Neck team in a thriller, 66-65.

With Garcia saddled with foul trouble all game and eventually fouling out, the Colonials showed everyone that they are a very balanced team. Gerbehey, Mike Wang and Gerry Plescia stepped up their games and helped the Colonials build a 13-point lead in the second quarter. The Pats behind their formidable duo of Devine and Steve Talbott who roared back to pull within two, 33-31, late in the quarter.

The Colonials extended it back to 11 (44- 33) early in the third quarter. The lead was seven (52-45) entering the fourth quarter.

Freehold Township, playing in front of its home fans, would not go away and through sheer perseverance eventually got within a point, 64-63, with 1:37 left in the game.

Brandon Brown responded with two crucial buckets driving it to the rim and the lead was back to five (68-63).

Two free throws form Devine made it 68-65 with 14.5 seconds left. The Pats fouled Gerbehey with 14 seconds left and he shut the door on any comeback, nailing a pair of free throws.

Manasquan got more than it bargained for from a Cougar team that had three freshmen on the floor late in regulation and throughout the two overtimes.

Frosh Sean O'Reilly stepped to the freethrow line with 16.5 seconds remaining in regulation and his Cougars down two, 49- 47. Oblivious to the pressure, he calming swished both free throws to send the game into overtime.

O'Reilly hit back-to-back jumpers, giving the Cougars the lead in the first overtime, but Wehner hit a 3-pointer that put the Big Blue back up, 55-54. They extended the lead to 56-54 only to have another frosh, Brian Kenny, sink a pair of pressure free throws with 49.6 seconds remaining to tie the game yet again.

Chris Leroy put the Cougars up with 25 seconds left with a pair of charity tosses. Wehner threw up a 3-pointer for the Warriors with just 12 seconds left and was fouled on the follow through. He could potentially win it by sinking all three free throws. He made the first two, but missed the third and the game went into a second overtime tied at 58.

The Warriors, who live by the 3-pointer, won it by going to burly Neil Sterling in the paint for back-to-back baskets in the final minute that lifted the Warriors to the 66-65 victory.

Despite the loss, Colts Neck's young team grew up before everyone's eyes.

In the first round played on Dec. 27 at Howell, Colts Neck provided the big surprise by taking defending champion and No. 1 seed Columbia out, 60-47.

The Cougars outscored Columbia 30-17 in the second half.

Kyle Mobbs led the Cougars with 17 and Hunter Wysocki chipped in with 12. Chris Leroy hit the boards hard and pulled down 10 caroms to go with eight points.

Freehold Borough survived a three-point barrage by Howell's Tom Callahan in the second half before prevailing 57-54.

Martino nailed four treys in the third quarter to give Howell a 36-30 lead. Garcia took over and sparked a 12-0 run that put Freehold back in the lead, 42-36.

Brown was clutch from the free-throw line in the final minute, but a late 3-pointer by Bill Kappock made it 55-54 with just 1.2 seconds left in the game. Gerbehey sealed it for Freehold, sinking a pair of free throws for the final three-point margin.

Freehold Township had the privilege of starting the tourney off at 11 a.m. The Pats didn't need a wake-up call as they rolled past Princeton Day School, 87-66.

Talbott poured in 32 points and Matt Devine added 24 as the Pats outscored Princeton in every quarter.

Manasquan rode Wehner's 27 points to a 62-56 victory over Union.