Colts Neck playing the best to be best
BY TIM MORRIS Staff Writer
There are no moral victories if you have the talent and aspirations of the Colts Neck girls basketball team.

The Cougars got so solace from playing nationally ranked (14th) University High School of Newark tough, before falling 75- 68 at Monmouth University at the Showcase Tournaments' Champions Challenge.

"Nobody in the locker room was satisfied," said Cougar coach John Truhan after the game. "We wanted to come out and win it."

What the Cougars, who lost for the first time and fell to 8-1 overall, did get in West Long Branch was confirmation that they are an outstanding team, one that can look the best in the eye and go toe to toe with them.

"We've closed the gap," noted Truhan. "There are still things we have to work on like offensive rebounding, finishing our fast break and free throws."

Mistakes, Truhan added, against great teams like University, are magnified.

It took a remarkable effort by the Phoenix's Laurin Mincy to finally put the Cougars away in the fourth quarter. Only two points separated the team at halftime (University led 34-32). Twice in the third quarter the Cougars had a six-point lead, but it was the Phoenix that led, 55-54, heading into the fourth quarter, thanks to a 3-pointer from the top of the circle by Mincy.

"Mincy really picked it up and showed what kind of class player she is," said Truhan.

Truhan pointed to a blocked shot by the 6-foot Mincy with being a turning point in the game. His Cougars had their second sixpoint lead of the game (50-44) and the ball. Mincy blocked a shot that triggered a fast break that she finished off on the other end.

"That blocked shot changed the tempo of the game," he pointed out.

It kept the Phoenix close, and a 7-2 spurt at the end of the period capped off by Mincy's 3- pointer, had the Phoenix up by one going into the final eight minutes.

University scored the first six points of the fourth quarter (two by Mincy and four by Nadirah McKenith) to take a seven-point lead, 61-54, which had the Cougars playing catch-up.

Another 3-pointer by Mincy, who scored 11 of her game-high 34 in the fourth quarter, upped the lead to 10, 67-57. Although Lauren Clarke answered with a 3-pointer, Mincy's shot was the final dagger.

Clarke led the Cougars with 18 points and was selected as the team's Most Valuable Player. Mincy was named University's MVP.

Tiffany DeTulio had 16, Brooke Hampton, 15, and Emily Laurence, 10, for the Cougars, who nailed nine 3-pointers on the day.

Colts Neck put a lot of pressure on the Phoenix (5-2) with guards Hampton and Clarke able to beat their defenders off the dribble. That created space for three-point shooting, as DeTulio and Clark each had four treys.

However, it was hard to finish off drives with the Phoenix size and physical presence in the paint. The Phoenix transitioned quickly to offense off blocked shots and defensive rebounds.

It doesn't get any easier for the Cougars who are embarking on an ambitious schedule designed to have them ready for March and the state tournament. Saturday, the Cougars will play Shabazz of Newark in the Dan Finn Classic at the Jersey City Armory at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, they are back on the court for the Boardwalk Classic in Asbury

Park, tipping off against nationally ranked Christ the King from NYC at 4:30 p.m.

That is a challenge for any team. However, the Cougars have already tested themselves against out-of-state teams. Over the Holidays, they went to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., for the

KSA Holiday Tournament, where they played teams from Alabama (Vestavia), Texas (Foy-Moody) and Washington State (Redmond).

"They were all big teams and physical," said Truhan. "We ran our plays really well."

It was a breakout tournament for DeTulio, who was the Most Valuable Player. She netted a team-high 18 points in the 68-55 win over Redmond in the final. She knocked down 13 3- pointers in the three games.

DeTulio is giving teams more to worry about as she becomes more and more of an option.

"We run more sets for her," noted Truhan. "Tiffany has the green light to shoot."

For her part, DeTulio credited her improved play to offseason work. She's moving better without the ball and driving to the basket more. She's also "always going to the gym" to work on her shooting.

"It's confidence," she remarked. "When I'm open, I have confidence that that it [the shot] will fall."

She has become a big part of the halfcourt offense.

Everyone knows that in Hampton and Clarke, the Cougars could have the best backcourt in the state. However, what is becoming more and more apparent with each game is the growth and maturity of the entire Cougar team. Everyone has improved their game as exemplified by DeTulio, and collectively, it has made Truhan's team one of the bona fide outstanding teams in the state.

Up front, Laurence, Brittany Howes and Leeann Lanza have been more than holding their own on the glass. That was an area of concern prior to the start of the season. Truhan remarked that the 5-foot-11 Laurence has become the team's best finisher.

She demonstrated that finishing talent against University by closing the deal on fast-break opportunities.

Last week was a numbers game for Colts Neck as Hampton became the third Cougar to score 1,000 career points. She achieved the milestone during the Cougars' 68-47 win over Freehold Township on Jan. 5.

The next night, Colts Neck beat another A North Division opponent, Howell, 45-24, as Truhan registered his 200th career victory.

Clarke (just four points short) will soon join her backcourt mate, Hampton, as a 1,000-point scorer.