Marlboro edges SJV in No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown
By tim morris
Staff Writer
When No. 1 meets No. 2, you expect a clash of wills and a highly competitive, closely fought battle that isn’t decided until the end.
Saturday’s Marlboro-St. John Vianney girls’ basketball game before a standing-room-only crowd at Roselle Catholic High School may not have been artistic, but it provided the kind of drama anticipated from a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup.
In the end, undefeated and No. 1 Marlboro held off No. 2 St. John Vianney, 45-43, and won, perhaps, the biggest game in school history.
Marlboro had been in control of the game throughout, but the gutsy Lancers had found a way to stay close, and with time expiring in regulation, Cheri Wittlieb drove the baseline looking to tie it up for SJV. She ran into the Mustangs Chakhia Cole, who blocked the ball out of bounds off Wittlieb.
On the sidelines, both benches waited with baited breath to see if there would be a foul call. The referee pointed to the end line, signaling the ball belonged to Marlboro with one second to go. The game belonged to the Mustangs.
"I didn’t think we’d get the call," said Marlboro coach Craig Uplinger. "When we got the call, it was pure joy."
Although ranked No. 1 in the state and 17th nationally, the Mustangs had looked at themselves as the team with something to prove against St. John Vianney, Holmdel, which has been the standard-bearer for girls’ basketball in the Garden State for more than a decade.
"We have so much respect for St. John Vianney," said the Mustangs’ Jenna Gatto, who gave the Lancers fits with her 10 points and eight rebounds. "You like to play a game like this where both teams leave it all on the court."
That much the two teams did.
Following a seesaw first quarter where Marlboro led 12-10 on Sharnee Zoll’s jumper, the Mustangs used a 10-0 early in the second quarter to take charge, 22-12. Brina Pollack scored six straight points during the run, including a three-pointer. Sarah Tanen came up with a big put-back off a Pollack missed free throw that pushed the lead to 20-12, and then the center scored off a feed from Zoll to push the lead to double-digits.
Two free throws from Gatto gave Marlboro a 24-16 cushion at the half.
St. John Vianney was lucky to still be in the game off 4-24 shooting.
Marlboro’s underrated defense (which may not be underrated any longer) had a lot to do with it. SJV can wear defenses down with its patient offense centered around ball movement and screens. It just takes a moment’s loss of concentration by a defender, and a Lancer cutter is heading to the basket for an uncontested layup, or sticking an open jumper.
"People look at us and talk about our athleticism and speed, but what you saw tonight was pretty good discipline on defense," said Uplinger. "The kids play well together; they communicate and rotate.
"Tonight we knew we were going up against a very disciplined offense that runs its sets," he added.
At the start of the third quarter, things didn’t get any better for the Lancers. A 6-0 Marlboro run, sparked by four points from Gatto, extended the lead to 12, 30-18.
The Mustangs were facing a pretty good defense themselves that put more pressure on the ball than they are used to seeing.
"Against their half-court defense we wanted to run the pick-and-roll, look for matchups and open lanes," said Uplinger
Gatto was especially effective finding the open space.
Wittlieb and Shannon Coyle would get the Lancers back, igniting a 7-0 run with long-range shots that included a trey from Coyle that cut the lead to five, 30-25.
Wittlieb said it was a matter of the Lancers never straying from the game plan.
"We knew that the only way to win was if we kept our heads into it even when our shots weren’t falling," she said. "We were rushing our shots in the first half. In the second we had some girls who stepped it up for us."
Marlboro held a 34-28 lead entering the fourth quarter, and Cole, who had turned an ankle in the second quarter, began to assert herself. A free throw and a layup off a nicely executed pick-and-roll stretched the lead to 37-28. But back came the Lancers with Wittlieb hitting from the outside and Coyle nailing another three-pointer. It was now 37-33 with 5:29 remaining.
Gatto put the lead back to six, but the red hot Coyle would connect from beyond the arc one more time, and it was down to a one possession game, 39-36.
Cole upped it to 41-36 on a drive to the basket, but it was raining threes on the Lancers’ end of the floor as Lindsay Orosz scored from beyond the arc to make it 41-39 with 3:05 remaining.
Sarah Tanen, one of Marlboro’s unsung heroes with her rebounding and physical presence in the paint, scored to make it 44-39 with just over 2:00 remaining.
But the Lancers were not through. Orosz and Wittlieb scored to cut it to 44-43 with 1:06 remaining.
With 19 seconds left, the Lancers were forced to foul and Pollack went to the line. She made one of two for a 45-43 Marlboro lead.
St. John Vianney misfired on its possession, and Cole rebounded and got fouled. She missed the front end of the one-and-one, and SJV had one last chance to tie or win with nine seconds.
When Cole blocked Wittlieb’s drive, Marlboro had withstood the Lancers’ big comeback and attained the signature win that gives them legitimacy and solidifies their No. 1 ranking.
"We’ve been talking about taking the next step," said Uplinger. "You can’t ask for more in a game. It went right down to the wire."
Pollack led Marlboro (17-0) with 11 points. Gatto and Cole each netted 10. Leading the Lancers (14-2) was Wittlieb who had a game-high 14. Coyle had nine.
As much as Marlboro was looking forward to playing the Lancers and having the chance to get that signature win, SJV was just as excited about playing the Mustangs.
"We look forward to challenges like this," said Wittlieb. "Marlboro is the best team around and it’s good experience for later in the season when we play in the Shore Conference and the states.
"This was a loss, but we can take a lot of positives from it," she added.
There was a feeling on the part of both teams that they are going to meet again, probably at the Shore Conference Tournament where they will be the top two seeds.