Sharnee Zoll, the field general of Marlboro’s exciting fastbreak offense and full-court press defense, was named to the All-State girls’ basketball third team by the Associated Press.
The sophomore point guard led the Shore in assists (7.72) per game while averaging 7.8 points and 4.17 steals per contest. Zoll impressed opponents and coaches alike with her decision making and grasp of the game. She was effective in pushing the ball up the floor in transition, or running the halfcourt offense. The consummate point guard who thinks to pass first, Zoll electrified fans with her no-look passes. Winning, however, and not fancy passes is the top priority of the sophomore. It’s the reason that Marlboro has gone 50-7 over the last two years.
With Zoll at the controls, Marlboro was ranked No. 1 in the state for much of the season. The Mustangs were 25-4 in 2002, winning the Kuhnert Holiday Tournament and Shore Conference A North Division titles for a second straight season. Marlboro was runner-up in the Shore Conference Tournament and the Central Jersey Group IV sectional, where it lost to eventual state champion Trenton.
The 2002 All-State Team had a distinct Shore area flavor. The conference’s top player, Chrissy Fisher of Rumson-Fair Haven, led the First Team selections.
The 6-1 University of Maryland-bound Fisher averaged 17.3 points and 12.4 rebounds a game as she carried the Bulldogs to a third straight Central Jersey title (Group II), the Group II state championship and the school’s first trip to the Tournament of Champions where they advanced to the semifinals before falling to Trenton.
Rounding out the first team were Trenton’s lightning-quick guard Mykeema Ford, who led the Tornadoes to the TOC crown, Shabazz’s Matee Ajavon, Notre Dame’s Michelle Campbell, Morristown’s Jen Harris, and Wildwood’s Monica Johnson.
Cheri Wittlieb, who led St. John Vianney to the SCT title, was named to the second team along with Toms River South’s Becky Zak.
Wittlieb, a 5-10 forward, averaged 16.8 points a game and connected on 56 threes, guiding SJV to the Class B North Division title, the SCT crown and the top-ranking in the Shore.
Zak, whose Indians were the A North Division champions, averaged 15.4 points a game and was second to Zoll in assists (7.2).
Red Bank Catholic junior Alisa Kresge joined Zoll on the third team. The Casey guard was the leading playmaker (4.9 assists per game) on the RBC team that pulled off the year’s biggest upset, topping SJV in the South Jersey Parochial A title game.
Rounding out the second team were Peddie School’s Christina Champion, Paterson-Eastside’s Essence Carson, Pascack Valley’s Jenn Jurjevic, and Pemberton’s Erika Messam.
Joining Zoll and Kresge on the third team were Immaculate Heart’s Nikki Flores, Peddie’s Jenna Graber, Hanover Park’s Aja Paraham, Emerson’s Vanessa Vargas, and Sparta’s Melissa Yeagley.