The Freehold High School boys basketball season was not unfolding the way it was expected to. The Colonials were 5-3 and had just dropped their second straight game, an upset loss at the hands of Ocean Township High School.
“We were at a crossroads early on,” Coach Ben DiBiase said. “We had lost two straight and fell to 5-3. A lot of players were beginning to question themselves and the direction we were going. We had a team meeting.”
He said after that team meeting was held in late December and all grievances were aired, the players “bought into the team concept. Everyone accepted their role on the team and would play it to the best of their ability.”
To say that meeting was productive would be an understatement. The Colonials ripped off 11 consecutive victories and on Feb. 2 in front of their home fans in Freehold Borough they clinched the Shore Conference B North Division championship by beating that same Ocean Township squad, 64-45.
“It felt good,” senior forward Christian Garcia said after the title-clinching win. “We have never gotten one (division title) in my four years. There have been a lot firsts this year.”
One of those firsts was winning at Monmouth Regional High School in Tinton Falls.
On Feb. 1 the Colonials traveled to Tinton Falls to take on Monmouth Regional in what amounted to a championship game. Freehold Borough took an 8-1 division mark into the game, while the Falcons were 7-2 in B North.
A Monmouth Regional win would have the teams tied for the B North lead with two league games to go. A Freehold win would mean a two-game lead and no worse than a tie for the division crown for the Colonials.
After wasting a chance to a share the B North title last year when they lost their final game at Red Bank Regional High School, seniors Garcia and Lance McKenzie, the team’s only returning veterans, took matters into their own hands and saw to it that there was no repeat of 2009.
Garcia tore the Monmouth Regional defense to pieces by scoring 32 points in the Colonials’ 69-65 win. He scored 19 points in the first half and Freehold stunned the Falcons with a 40-point outburst on the way to a 40-24 halftime lead.
But the Falcons clawed their way back into the game and with less than 1:00 to play in the fourth quarter the Colonials’ lead was down to 65-63.
McKenzie delivered the dagger by scoring the basket that put the Colonials up by four, 67-63, and Jazzmar Clax sealed the victory with a late basket.
Even though the Colonials were now assured of a share of the B North title, they wanted to win it outright and had the chance to do that in the rematch against the Ocean Township Spartans.
“We talked about it right after we beat Monmouth Regional,” DiBiase said. “We wanted to avenge the loss (earlier in the season to Ocean Township) and win the B North title outright.”
Ocean Township (8-8) was in the wrong gym at the wrong time. With Freehold’s players motivated to win the team’s first outright basketball title in 14 years, the Spartans went home on their shield.
The Colonials led 18-9 after one quarter and never looked back.
Garcia was again the catalyst, pouring in 27 points. During one stretch he scored 16 of the Colonials’ 20 points from the second through the fourth quarter.
“I’ve been feeling it the last couple of days,” he said.
It is more than just Garcia’s scoring ability that has been impressive.
“He does all of the other things,” DiBiase said, pointing to Garcia’s all-around play. The forward led Freehold in assists (5), rebounds (11) and steals (5) against Ocean Township.
McKenzie added 15 points and played his usually solid floor game that included five assists, matching Garcia in that statistic.
“Without a point guard’s leadership you don’t win,” DiBiase said. “Lance has given us that for four years.”
Crisp ball movement and unselfish play by the Colonials produced 19 assists on the team’s 22 baskets. Clax (3) and Jesse Hunt (2) contributed multiple assists in addition to Garcia and McKenzie.
An aggressive defense came up with 14 steals against the Spartans, led by Garcia’s five. McKenzie had three steals and Clax and Sterry Codrington contributed two steals each.
Freehold (16-3) improved to 10-1 in B North. The Colonials closed out the B North schedule on Feb. 9 at home against Red Bank Regional.
What a difference a year makes. It was Red Bank Regional that ruined the Colonials’ bid to share the 2008-09 B North crown with Monmouth Regional and Neptune when they beat the Colonials in Little Silver. Those memories are still in the back of the Colonials’ minds. This year, though, the Bucs cannot play the role of spoiler because Freehold has already wrapped up the division crown.
Freehold’s 11-game win streak was snapped on Feb. 4 in Middletown when Middletown South scored a decisive 68-56 victory. Middletown South is leading the race for the Shore Conference A North Division public schools title.
That loss to the Eagles could hurt the Colonials when the Shore Conference Tournament seeding committee meets.
The conference tournament will begin with first round games on Feb. 17. The final is scheduled for Feb. 27 at the Ritacco Center, Toms River.
The Colonials reached the semifinals last season.
“We want to go deeper in the tournament this year,” McKenzie said.