By: centraljersey.com
Sarah Muchowski capped a career of highlights with the Florence High School girls basketball team with one more.
On Saturday, the Flashes senior suited up one last time for a high school game, this time as a member of the North team that was edged by the South, 75-69, in the 33rd annual Al Carino all-star game at Paul VI in Haddonfield.
"It was a great game," Muchowski said. "We ended up losing, but it was close."
Muchowski supplied two points after grabbing an offensive rebound and putting it back in.
"I just wanted to have fun, and play with a different group of girls," she said. "We’re all great players. It was a lot of fun. We all got to show what we can do."
She was one of just six Burlington County players selected for the game. The others were Lenape’s Moira Anthony, Pemberton’s Bria Champion, Cinnaminson’s Courtney Colella, Cherokee’s Sara Farrell and Rancocas Valley’s Lauren Gaskill. "I found out a few days after we ended our season that I made it," Muchowski said. "Our coach got an email that asked if wanted to play. I was very excited, coming in to play in South Jersey. I’d heard of the girls, but never got to play against them. The only girl I played against Bria Champion from Pemberton."
Muchowski was an easy selection for the team. She will graduate after scoring 466 points this year to place her second all-time in career scoring. She passed 1,000 points last year as a junior. This season, she led Burlington County girls in scoring at 19.42 points per game, three-hundredths of a point better than Willingboro’s Micahya Owens.
"She had a really good year," said Florence head coach Carey Trayner. "She had a lot on her shoulders. She was a leader on and off the court. I was really happy to have her on my team. I was really happy she made the all-star team.
"She stood out. Just her drive to play. She works to be better. She works to play. She’s a good athlete. She never gives up. Her drive makes her stand out over other players." Surrounded by less experienced players this year after her four co-starters all graduated, Muchowski helped the Flashes return to the Central Jersey Group I state tournament and win a game.
"It turned out great," she said. "This year could have been better, but everyone has rebuilding years. I’m happy how my senior year went. I had a lot of good friends and I became a great basketball player."
While Muchowski was asked to man the middle in many situations for Florence, the all-star game was a better look at what she’ll be doing next year for the Ursinus College women’s basketball team. In the all-star game, she played guard, something that she expects to fill at either shooting guard or off-guard next year. And the game matched her up against players with similar size and speed.
"It’s probably like what I’ll see next year in college," Muchowski said. "It was a lot faster. The tempo was a lot higher, and we played 10-minute quarters."
Muchowski is hoping to use the experience to kick start her preparation to play at the next level. Last year, she didn’t get that chance to play right away after suffering a badly sprained ankle in the state tournament. She didn’t resume playing again until mid-May. Playing in the all-star game was a bonus in preparing for Ursinus.
"It was just a really fun game," Muchowski said. "It pulled me in to getting me ready for the AAU season. It’s not really ending. It’s like a kickoff."
It figures to be a busy time as Muchowski looks to make the jump to the next level. She is practicing with a Bordentown team now, and this summer can join the Ursinus team in a summer league.
"I just think she has a really good sense of the basketball game," Trayner said, "and a lot of good skill. She’ll be able to adapt to whatever coach she has. It was a good experience this year to go from the coach she had for three years to me for this year. She works hard. She’ll bring that with her skill."
Trayner was in her first season as head coach of the basketball team, but she had seen Muchowski as an assistant coach for Florence field hockey. Everything that Trayner knows about her tells her that she can succeed in college.
"Just knowing her personally and from field hockey, she always works hard," Trayner said. "Even as a student, she’s a hard worker. I think some things do come naturally to her, but she works hard. She made other girls on the team work hard and made other girls on the team better because of that."
Muchowski knew after making an overnight visit to Ursinus in January that it was the perfect spot for her to continue her career.
"I felt very at home," she said. "I love the coach and the school. It’s a good balance between academic and sports. It was a good fit for me.
"I hope to improve my game, take it to the next level, and become a better all-around player."
Sarah Muchowski helped the Flashes surge to Group I excellence during her career, a career that makes her one of the program’s most decorated players. The second-leading scorer in program history, she enjoyed team and individual success that was capped by her selection in an exclusive all-star game Saturday.

