James Sobieski’s emergence as an impact player on both ends of the floor helped Colts Neck High School win the Shore Conference A North Division title this year and go 22-6. LAUREN CASSELBERRY While Colts Neck High School was cruising to the boys basketball Shore Conference A North Division title, the area was also treated to two of the best players in the Shore, Manalapan High School’s Anthony Firkser and Colts Neck’s Brandon Federici.
Coach Lou Piccola’s Cougars dominated what was expected to be a four- or five-team race in A North by going 13-1. That gave Colts Neck back-to-back division championships. They were 22-6 for the season, and the team’s 21st win was the 500th of Piccola’s career.
Meanwhile, Firkser and Federici were taking their place alongside the best players in their programs’ histories. They ranked among the top three scorers in the Shore Conference this winter, but their contributions went well beyond that, which made them so important to their team’s success.
Colts Neck and Manalapan (14-10) reached the quarterfinals of the Shore Conference Tournament (SCT). The Cougars were semifinalists in NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III.
Freehold Township High School, led by John Horrigan, continued its SCT and state playoff participation streak, going 11-16.
Marlboro High School, under first-year coach Michael Nausedas, began its season with a program first, winning the Dodgers Tournament in Madison.
Firkser, Federici and Horrigan head the News Transcript’s 2013 All-Freehold Regional High School District (FRHSD) Boys Basketball Team First Team. Completing the First Team are Colts Neck’s Lucas LaLima and James Sobieski.
Second Team nods go to Chris O’Reilly and Tim Vangelas of Colts Neck, Aaron Trimble from Howell High School, Michael Pyzik of Manalapan and Justin Markowitz of Marlboro.
Firkser was named the conference’s co- Player of the Year by the Shore Conference Basketball Coaches, sharing the honor with Lakewood High School’s Tyrice Beverette. Firkser, who is Harvard-bound, did it all in 2012- 13. He was the leading playmaker in the Shore by averaging 7.6 assists per game. He made the 3-point field goal a weapon for the Braves because he could attack the basket and find the open shooter. He was, however, just as dangerous a scoring threat by averaging 21.3 points per game. He could hurt a team from anywhere with his shooting range (61 3-pointers).
Early in the season, the Braves’ senior joined the 1,000-career points club. Firkser concluded his career with 1,362 points, the second most in school history. The coaches named him A North Player of the Year and First Team All-Shore Conference.
An all-state wide receiver on the gridiron, Firkser will play both football and basketball at Harvard.
Federici showed his class this winter by leading the Cougars to the A North title. With 1,000-pointer scorers Hunter Wysocki and Sean O’Reilly graduated, many thought the Cougars would be rebuilding. That wasn’t the case, because Federici stepped up and gave the Cougars everything they needed between scoring, passing, rebounding and providing leadership. He ranked among the top three scorers in the Shore with Firkser, averaging 21.7 points per game (with a career-high 35 points against Newark Tech High School). He was a long-range threat himself with 71 3- pointers. Federici also averaged five rebounds and two assists a game. He was named to the coaches’ All-Shore First Team.
Horrigan is the reason the Patriots continued to be a postseason team. The 6-foot-5 pure center was a difficult matchup for teams, and Freehold Township took advantage of it. When the Patriots could establish him inside, the outside game suddenly opened up. The senior was a nightly double-double threat, averaging 17 points and 11 rebounds per game. He was First Team All-A North with Federici and Firkser.
The most improved player on the Cougars was Sobieski, who gave the team a needed inside presence. His help on defense, along with his shot blocking and rebounding, were huge for Colts Neck. His rebounding made the Cougars a team that could get out and run in transition. He played his best in the postseason, registering a pair of double-doubles. He averages 8.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, as well as 3.1 blocks.
LaLima was Colts Neck’s floor general, the conductor who put everyone in the right position. His sheer hustle on defense not only made him a pest to point guards, but his play was contagious. The senior led the club in steals (2.6 per game). The Cougars’ point guard ranked among the leaders in assists in the conference by averaging 5.8 a game. His 4.5 points per game hardly spoke for his value to the offense.
Vangelas helped fill the scoring void with his jump shot. The senior was the secondleading scorer on the team (11 points per game). A talented wide receiver, he’ll continue his football career at Lafayette College.
O’Reilly gave the Cougars a glimpse of the future. The sophomore will be one of the team’s cornerstones next season. This year, the guard proved he could score (10 points per game), shoot from long range (32 3- points) and play defense. He also showed he can be a facilitator when he took over the reins of the offense as the point guard when LaLima missed five games due to injury.
Trimble, a sophomore, will be the face of the Rebels as they look to re-emerge as a factor on the hardwood. Without a lot of help this season, he averaged 13.2 points per game.
Trimble and O’Reilly were both named to the coaches’ A North Second Team.
Markowitz, a junior, was Marlboro’s most consistent player and averaged 12.5 points a game. The guard led the club in 3-points as well, with 31. He made the All-Tournament Team in Madison.
Pyzik took the most advantage of Firkser’s kick-out passes. The guard nailed 48 treys on the season, and the senior averaged 10.6 points per game.
Student-athletes who have earned All- FRHSD honorable mention recognition for their performances during the 2012-13 season are Dan Martucci of Freehold High School, Jason Czajkowski of Freehold Township, Dennis Girolamo and Michael Busto of Manalapan, and George Elghoul of Marlboro.