MANVILLE: Tough week for hoopsters

MUSTANG ROUNDUP

by Rudy Brandl, Sports Editor
   The Manville High girls’ basketball team never regained the form or confidence it showed on that Monday afternoon at home against Sussex Tech.
   Manville rolled to a 49-29 blowout victory that day, giving head coach Larisa Donis-Jeppson hope that her team would win a few more games down the stretch. The Lady Mustangs went on to lose their final five games by an average of more than 30 points.
   Last week’s 49-22 home loss to South Hunterdon marked the second straight game in which the Lady Mustangs couldn’t score 10 points in any of the four quarters. MHS trailed 19-4 after one quarter and never got any closer.
   Amy Evanylo led Manville with 10 points. Only three other MHS girls scored – Amanda Furka (6), Kim Jones (4) and Kate Pornovets (2).
   Manville dropped an ugly 60-16 game at Bound Brook the previous week. The MHS girls led Bound Brook early and were tied at halftime in the first meeting back in January but the rematch wasn’t close.
   Dana Mortensen led Manville with six points, while Evanylo and Jones added four apiece. The MHS girls made only five field goals in the game.
   Evanylo netted 12 and Cara Alpaugh hit for a career-high 10 points in the team’s 77-39 loss to North Warren. Manville did not hit any threes vs. North Warren.
Boys fall short
in big rematch
The Manville boys had to feel good about their chances to avenge a prior loss in last week’s game at South Hunterdon. The Eagles had beaten them by two points in the first meeting but the Mustangs have played much better vs. every opponent the second time around.
   That was not the case in last week’s game in West Amwell, although for a while it looked like the Mustangs were primed to even the score in this year’s home-and-away series against South.
   Manville bolted to a 20-10 lead in a great offensive first quarter and still owned a 30-26 edge at halftime. South stuffed the Mustangs in the second half and held them to nine points en route to a 51-39 victory.
   Dan Pierrot led the Mustangs with 15 points, including three 3-pointers. Richie Kloskowski also hit a three and finished with nine points, while Doug Bradley added eight.
   Manville was scheduled to finish the season Monday at Perth Amboy Tech.