Trenton’s size and speed are too much for young ’Stangs
Mustangs fall to Ford’s 29 points and clutch play
FARRAH MAFFAI Marlboro’s Jenna Gatto shoots between a pair of Trenton defenders during the CJ Group IV final at Sayreville High School on March 5.
The Marlboro High School girls’ basketball team had every reason to be concerned about Trenton.
Lost in all of Marlboro’s success was the simple fact that the Mustangs are not a very big team. Yes, the 5-9 Chakhia Cole plays much bigger than her height, and yes, the 6-0 Sara Tanen can fill the lanes and be a presence. However, after Cole and Tanen, the Mustangs have no one else who can be a factor under the basket.
For the most part, teams haven’t been able to exploit that vulnerability because of Marlboro’s sheer talent. But that wasn’t the case on March 5 when the defending champion Mustangs took on Trenton in the Central Jersey Group IV championship game at Sayreville High School.
Because of its size and depth on the front line, Trenton appeared all season long to be the one team that could derail the Mustangs’ bid for a second straight state sectional title. But they had something else going for them as well, an electrifying point guard.
FARRAH MAFFAI Marlboro’s Sharnee Zoll dribbles past Trenton’s Gera Darby during the Mustangs’ season-ending loss in the CJ Group IV final at Sayreville High School on March 5.
The Mustangs, according to coach Craig Uplinger, were aware of what they were up against.
"People kept asking me about Trenton, and I told them all we had to do was prepare for three 6-footers and the fastest point guard in the state," he pointed out.
The front line of Charlene Phelps, Charnett Phelps and Asia Dowling, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2, respectively, provided a formidable front wall for the Mustangs to scale, and to make matters worse, a streak, later identified as point guard Mykeema Ford, had the Mustangs gasping for air all night.
It was the speedy Ford who was the difference maker in Trenton’s 59-52 victory. She scored on coast-to-coast plays, on pull-up three-pointers and driving lay-ups through traffic whose degree of difficulty was off the charts. She put on a show and made a believer out of a pretty good guard in her own right, the Mustangs’ Brina Pollack
"She was unbelievable," said Pollack. "I’ve never seen a girl that quick who can release her shot at the top of her jump.
"We knew we couldn’t stop her," she added. "We wanted to limit her touches. We tried to adjust, but it was kind of hard."
Marlboro’s own swift point guard, Sharnee Zoll, was pretty impressed herself.
"We knew it would be hard to contain her," she pointed out. "We wanted to make her do things that were difficult, to make difficult shots, and she did."
On her first score of the game, a soaring drive to the basket that she finished off with a bank shot, Ford let Marlboro know that she was bringing something special to the table. Later, when she started to score on pull-up jumpers, Marlboro realized just how difficult it was going to be to contain her. Speed kills, and she was the fastest player on the court.
"I know how we lost," said Uplinger. "The best was on the other team."
While Ford was torching the Mustangs, the Tornadoes were slowly winning the battle in the paint. It would be a war of attrition. It was obvious early that the Tornado front line couldn’t handle Cole’s quickness or physical play. However, they had Marlboro outnumbered.
"They had a little more depth and size to throw at Chakhia," said Uplinger. "They were not going to let her get a free shot inside."
While dominating the backboards, Cole was limited to just one field goal for the game by a Trenton team that wasn’t going to give up any cheap put backs. Although it cost the team in fouls, it did keep Cole from making the three-point plays that break a team’s back.