Gatto, Tanen show SJV that their talent is deep

Staff Writer

By tim morris

St. John Vianney and the high school basketball world learned a lot about the Marlboro High School girls’ basketball team Saturday night.

What the Mustangs revealed to one and all is that they are a deeper team than they are given credit for. Everyone knows about the slick point guard, Sharnee Zoll; the explosive forward, Chahkia Cole; and the shooting guard with ice water running through her veins, Brina Pollack.

Saturday night, Jenna Gatto and Sara Tanen showed what they can bring to the Mustangs as they helped make a difference in Marlboro’s heart-stopping 45-43 win over St. John Vianney, Holmdel, in the battle of No. 1 vs. No. 2 at a jam-packed Roselle Catholic High School.

Gatto was everywhere. She was in perpetual motion, always in the right place at the right time to snare a rebound, hit an open jumper, or get a great feed from Zoll or Pollack.

Sensing that SJV would be concentrating its defense on Zoll, Cole and Pollack, Gatto knew she had to make her presence felt.

"I wanted to be a threat," said Gatto.

And she was just that. She scored 10 points on the night and had a team-high eight rebounds as she made the Lancers very aware of her presence. Future teams have to take notice that the Mustangs have another player who steps up in the big time. The perfect timing Gatto had Saturday night is something she credited to how familiar the Mustangs are with each other.

"I can look at Sharnee and Brina and know what they are thinking," she said. "Our chemistry is incredible."

The 6-2 Tanen showed her value coming up with big rebounds and being a presence in the paint. The Lancers did not get very much inside against the Marlboro defense all night, and Tanen was a big reason why.

Tanen sparked a 10-0 run in the second quarter that lifted Marlboro to a 22-12 lead and allowed them to take command of the game. She pulled down a huge offensive rebound off a missed Pollack free throw that turned a 17-12 lead into 20-12, and she upped the lead to 10 off a feed from Zoll.

Despite being in foul trouble, Tanen was able to play smartly and keep herself in the game, which was critical to Marlboro which had Zoll playing the fourth quarter with four fouls and Cole playing on a twisted ankle.

Typical of her team-first approach, Tanen wouldn’t talk about herself.

"It really was a team effort," she said. "We worked hard on defense and gave a good effort."

What Gatto and Tanen gave the Mustangs is reason for alarm for teams who looked at the team as not a very deep one. The damage they did to the Lancers provided proof that you have to defend every player on the floor. That is why Marlboro is 17-0 and firmly entrenched in the top spot in the state rankings.