BY VIN RAPOLLA
Staff Writer
The Monmouth Regional girls basketball team’s record is a bit deceiving.While the Falcons have posted a solid 11-5 mark thus far, they are generally considered one of the better teams in the Shore Conference. And when you take a closer look at the Golden Falcons’ schedule, you begin to understand why.
“We’ve lost to some good teams,” said head coach Audra Corson. “We have a tough schedule; we haven’t lost to any slouches and in most of the games we’ve had a chance.”
Coming off a season where the Falcons boasted a 21-7 record and won a Central Jersey Group III championship, Corson knew coming into the season that as many as three teams in Class B North would be out to take the divisional crown. As it stands, Neptune (who beat Monmouth 62-42 on Monday) appears to have the title wrapped, with a two-game lead over both Monmouth and Freehold Borough.
And while the division crown appears to be out of Monmouth’s grasp, Corson has made it clear to her players that their concentration should be on preparing for the upcoming postseason tournaments.
“Some of our players are a little wet behind the ears,” said Corson. “We still have a lot of work we’ll need to do if we want to get back to where we were last year. We have the ability, but we have a tough bracket.”
The trio of Caitlin Shaw, Brittney Powell and Tia Curtis has played well, as expected, and forms a formidable threat to any team they face.
“Our three captains can score, rebound and handle the ball. They do it all,” said Corson. “They’re on the court just about all the time.”
The rotation is rounded off by a trio of sophomores in Jessica Ford, Christina Fernandes and Jennifer Hughes. The three have filled in the gaps that the team had lost from last season.
“The three are all coming along,” said Corson. “They had seen some time last year, but not much.”
One of the highlights of the season thus far has been Brittany Powell becoming the team’s second 1,000-point scorer for her career. Powell is the second player in school history, behind Kristen Dalton, who played for the team last year. The team will also have its third 1,000-point scorer with Tia Curtis, who is poised to break the mark next season.
“She’s fast, a great outside shooter and has really worked on her driving,” said Corson of Curtis. “She’s pretty unstoppable when the lanes are open, and she finishes well.”
With a remaining schedule that doesn’t get any easier, Corson knows the Falcons will have to continue to progress if they hope to be successful in the postseason. Team defense, which has been the team’s Achilles’ heel, will need to improve if they are to be successful.
“Our tough schedule will hopefully prepare us for the postseason,” said Corson. “It doesn’t get any easier for us; we don’t have a cupcake schedule.”
With postseason looming, local teams jockey for high seeds
With the month of February less than a week away, wins are becoming a hot commodity for those teams lingering around the .500 mark.
While the Shore Conference Tournament won’t be seeded until Feb. 11, giving teams plenty of time to secure their standing in that tournament, the cut-off for the state tournament is next Saturday (Feb. 3).
That leaves a couple of local teams on the bubble as they look ahead to the next few games.
On the boys’ side, Red Bank Catholic’s boys find themselves in a tough spot. The Caseys, who got off to a strong start only to struggle a bit of late, are 7-8 following a 71-46 loss to Red Bank Regional on Monday.
That leaves the Caseys with four games left before the state cut-off, needing to win three of them to qualify. And a quick glance at their opponents shows what a challenge that will be.
On Thursday, the Caseys host Raritan, a 12-3 team that is playing very well, before RBC travels to Holmdel on Monday to take on a 4-9 Hornets squad that is better than its record indicates.
On Feb. 1, the Caseys will host Rumson-Fair Haven (4-10), before closing out the four-game stretch with a game at Barnegat (1-11).
While three of the four games are against teams below the .500 mark, RBC will have to play like it did throughout the first half of the season to get the job done, and extend their season.
As for the local boys teams that appear to be locks for the state tournament, Red Bank Regional is sitting prettiest, as the Bucs (14-1) make a push for the top seed in the Central Jersey Group III bracket.
Monmouth Regional, who shocked second-ranked Neptune, 60-58, behind Brenden Cohen’s 18 points, is 11-5 on the year, and appears to be playing its best basketball of the season down the stretch.
Shore Regional, at 12-3, is battling Asbury Park for the Class B Central title, and is just one game behind the Bishops at this point. And Long Branch, at 9-5 following a 76-62 win over Ocean Township (5-11) on Monday, is also state-tournament bound.
The Shore Regional girls, meanwhile, are another bubble team. The Blue Devils, at 6-9, need to win all of their next four games to qualify for the state tournament.
Shore, who beat Henry Hudson, 78-22, on Monday to get to 6-9 on the year, face Keansburg (8-7) on Friday in a game both teams need to win, before hosting a good Point Pleasant Beach team (9-5) on Monday. They also face Keyport (7-7) on Feb. 1 and Red Bank Regional (2-12) on Feb. 3.
Red Bank Catholic’s girls (12-2) and Rumson-Fair Haven’s girls (12-3) are playing for high seeds at this point, as are the Monmouth Regional girls. Ocean Township’s girls, at 10-6, are postseason bound as well.