Post by admin on Mar 13, 2008 5:42:12 GMT -5
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FREEHOLD — The Freehold Boro High School girls basketball team often utilized its speed to achieve success.
"We are a very fast tempo type of team," coach Jenn Brzucki said. "We like to push and run the ball and use the fast break whenever we can. When we are in a half court set, we don't throw eight passes to make a play work.
"Most coaches yell at a player for taking a quick shot, but I feel they are high school kids and they need to learn. A girl is in high school for four years. If she takes a bad shot, let her learn from it for the next game. There is no reason to rip a girl. It's not always about winning. It's also about enjoying the game."
The Colonials often used a pressure defense.
"We were pretty much a man-to-man team for four quarters," Brzucki said. "If we needed to go to a zone against a bigger opponent, we went to either a 3-2 or a 2-3."
The strategy often worked at both ends of the court.
The Colonials went 22-5 overall and won the Shore Conference Class B North title at 11-1. It was their first division championship since 1980. They advanced to the championship game of the Jack Kuhnert Tournament. They lost to St. John Vianney in the quarterfinals of the Shore Conference Tournament.
The top-seeded Colonials fell to Neptune on a basket at the fourth-quarter buzzer in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Central Jersey Group III championship game. Freehold Boro came into the game with three wins over the Scarlet Fliers in three games.
"It was disheartening," Brzucki said, "but that's how basketball goes sometimes. It breaks my heart. It happens. Maybe luck was not on our side that night. They were the better team that night."
Freehold Boro drew a first-round bye in the state tournament. It bested Willingboro in overtime in the quarterfinals — avenging last year's loss to the Chimeras in the quarters. The Colonials ousted Middletown South before falling to Neptune.
"We were in a tough bracket," said Brzucki, who was assisted by Joe Santieptro and Ashley Silsbe. "Willingboro was very well skilled and very well coached. My girls laid out their heart and soul and came out on top. We wanted it. That win propelled us even farther."
Freehold Boro's top player was junior center-forward Shannon Mayrose. Also a soccer standout, the 5-foot-10 Mayrose led the Colonials in scoring and rebounding, averaging 17.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. One of the team's captains, she averaged 2.0 steals and 1.5 assists per showing.
"She's a kid who will run through brick walls for you," Brzucki said. "She leads by example. Her aggressive play on the floor and her willingness to win speak for itself. She portrays herself as the athlete everyone looks up to and wants to be like in school."
Mayrose adjusted to Brzucki's style of play as a junior.
"My style of play was a lot different from hers," Brzucki said. "Her ballhandling skills improved. She learned to shoot the jumper instead of just posting up down low. She has grown so much as an athlete."
Sehmonyeh Allen, a 5-foot-11 sophomore shooting guard, filled her job description, placing second on the team in scoring, averaging 12.6 points per game. She added norms of 3.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.4 steals per outing.
"She is a very tall guard who uses her size well," Brzucki said. "If she goes up against a smaller guard, I can throw her into the low post a little bit. She has an awesome shot. She's coming into her own. She is going to be even more of a threat next year when she becomes more aggressive and gets stronger."
Allen started at the varsity level last season.
"She's not afraid to block shots," Brzucki said. "This year, she looked to drive more instead of shooting the 3-pointer. Her defense got a little bit better. In the long run, I want her to become quicker and stronger. She plays AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) ball so she's dedicated to the game."
Quasonna Moore, a 5-foot-10 senior forward, also captained the team. She averaged 9.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
"She rebounded the ball very well," Brzucki said, "and played very big in our big time games. She grabbed rebounds and finished around the bucket. When we were down, she was the first one to step in and give us that spark."
Junior Alexandra Eagle started at point guard. The 5-foot-10 Eagle averaged 4.6 points, 2.6 assists, 1.3 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.
"She kept the team composed," Brzucki said. "She is very quick and aggressive. She will go four quarters without a breather. She never even asks
to come out. She is a strong willed kid who will be very successful in college."
Ashley Lewis, a 5-foot-6 junior guard, averaged 6.3 points, 1.2 assists, 1.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.
"She shot 3-pointers for me," Brzucki said. "She drove a little more to the basket, which is what I wanted from her. Her defense improved tremendously. She is a fierce competitor on defense. She put good pressure on the ball. She did not give up and become frustrated when she was beaten to the basket. She pressured girls the way I wanted them to be pressured."
The top substitutes were Simone Dixon, a 5-foot-7 sophomore guard-forward, and Jackie Scalgione, a 5-foot-7 junior guard.
"Simone knew how to play all of the positions on the floor," Brzucki said. "She is very, very fast. She will contribute a lot to our team next year. Jackie was our best defender off the bench. That's not always the easiest task, but she was up to the challenge each time I put her on the floor."
The success of this year's team was in the makings last summer. The Colonials played two games per night for one week at St. Peter's College, Jersey City.
"We just wanted to see city teams instead of the same old Shore Conference teams," Brzucki said. "It's not always easy to put together summer plans as the girls who play soccer and basketball are on traveling teams and the high school soccer season starts in August. We work out when we can in the summer. We will compete in either a camp or league this summer to work on our skills."
A former Mater Dei athlete, Brzucki is a lady on the go. A Freehold Boro mathematics and special education teacher, she is also the Colonials' head girls spring track coach and an assistant girls soccer coach.
"I love working with the kids," said Brzucki, 32. "I like the challenge. I like seeing kids excel and seeing how much they improve over the years."
FREEHOLD — The Freehold Boro High School girls basketball team often utilized its speed to achieve success.
"We are a very fast tempo type of team," coach Jenn Brzucki said. "We like to push and run the ball and use the fast break whenever we can. When we are in a half court set, we don't throw eight passes to make a play work.
"Most coaches yell at a player for taking a quick shot, but I feel they are high school kids and they need to learn. A girl is in high school for four years. If she takes a bad shot, let her learn from it for the next game. There is no reason to rip a girl. It's not always about winning. It's also about enjoying the game."
The Colonials often used a pressure defense.
"We were pretty much a man-to-man team for four quarters," Brzucki said. "If we needed to go to a zone against a bigger opponent, we went to either a 3-2 or a 2-3."
The strategy often worked at both ends of the court.
The Colonials went 22-5 overall and won the Shore Conference Class B North title at 11-1. It was their first division championship since 1980. They advanced to the championship game of the Jack Kuhnert Tournament. They lost to St. John Vianney in the quarterfinals of the Shore Conference Tournament.
The top-seeded Colonials fell to Neptune on a basket at the fourth-quarter buzzer in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Central Jersey Group III championship game. Freehold Boro came into the game with three wins over the Scarlet Fliers in three games.
"It was disheartening," Brzucki said, "but that's how basketball goes sometimes. It breaks my heart. It happens. Maybe luck was not on our side that night. They were the better team that night."
Freehold Boro drew a first-round bye in the state tournament. It bested Willingboro in overtime in the quarterfinals — avenging last year's loss to the Chimeras in the quarters. The Colonials ousted Middletown South before falling to Neptune.
"We were in a tough bracket," said Brzucki, who was assisted by Joe Santieptro and Ashley Silsbe. "Willingboro was very well skilled and very well coached. My girls laid out their heart and soul and came out on top. We wanted it. That win propelled us even farther."
Freehold Boro's top player was junior center-forward Shannon Mayrose. Also a soccer standout, the 5-foot-10 Mayrose led the Colonials in scoring and rebounding, averaging 17.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. One of the team's captains, she averaged 2.0 steals and 1.5 assists per showing.
"She's a kid who will run through brick walls for you," Brzucki said. "She leads by example. Her aggressive play on the floor and her willingness to win speak for itself. She portrays herself as the athlete everyone looks up to and wants to be like in school."
Mayrose adjusted to Brzucki's style of play as a junior.
"My style of play was a lot different from hers," Brzucki said. "Her ballhandling skills improved. She learned to shoot the jumper instead of just posting up down low. She has grown so much as an athlete."
Sehmonyeh Allen, a 5-foot-11 sophomore shooting guard, filled her job description, placing second on the team in scoring, averaging 12.6 points per game. She added norms of 3.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.4 steals per outing.
"She is a very tall guard who uses her size well," Brzucki said. "If she goes up against a smaller guard, I can throw her into the low post a little bit. She has an awesome shot. She's coming into her own. She is going to be even more of a threat next year when she becomes more aggressive and gets stronger."
Allen started at the varsity level last season.
"She's not afraid to block shots," Brzucki said. "This year, she looked to drive more instead of shooting the 3-pointer. Her defense got a little bit better. In the long run, I want her to become quicker and stronger. She plays AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) ball so she's dedicated to the game."
Quasonna Moore, a 5-foot-10 senior forward, also captained the team. She averaged 9.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
"She rebounded the ball very well," Brzucki said, "and played very big in our big time games. She grabbed rebounds and finished around the bucket. When we were down, she was the first one to step in and give us that spark."
Junior Alexandra Eagle started at point guard. The 5-foot-10 Eagle averaged 4.6 points, 2.6 assists, 1.3 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.
"She kept the team composed," Brzucki said. "She is very quick and aggressive. She will go four quarters without a breather. She never even asks
to come out. She is a strong willed kid who will be very successful in college."
Ashley Lewis, a 5-foot-6 junior guard, averaged 6.3 points, 1.2 assists, 1.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.
"She shot 3-pointers for me," Brzucki said. "She drove a little more to the basket, which is what I wanted from her. Her defense improved tremendously. She is a fierce competitor on defense. She put good pressure on the ball. She did not give up and become frustrated when she was beaten to the basket. She pressured girls the way I wanted them to be pressured."
The top substitutes were Simone Dixon, a 5-foot-7 sophomore guard-forward, and Jackie Scalgione, a 5-foot-7 junior guard.
"Simone knew how to play all of the positions on the floor," Brzucki said. "She is very, very fast. She will contribute a lot to our team next year. Jackie was our best defender off the bench. That's not always the easiest task, but she was up to the challenge each time I put her on the floor."
The success of this year's team was in the makings last summer. The Colonials played two games per night for one week at St. Peter's College, Jersey City.
"We just wanted to see city teams instead of the same old Shore Conference teams," Brzucki said. "It's not always easy to put together summer plans as the girls who play soccer and basketball are on traveling teams and the high school soccer season starts in August. We work out when we can in the summer. We will compete in either a camp or league this summer to work on our skills."
A former Mater Dei athlete, Brzucki is a lady on the go. A Freehold Boro mathematics and special education teacher, she is also the Colonials' head girls spring track coach and an assistant girls soccer coach.
"I love working with the kids," said Brzucki, 32. "I like the challenge. I like seeing kids excel and seeing how much they improve over the years."