BY VIN RAPOLLA
Staff Writer
PHOTOS BY JEFFGRANIT staff Monmouth Regional’s Tia Curtis hides her frustrations during the final minute of the Falcons’ loss to St. John Vianney on Saturday in Toms River. Below, Monmouth’s Youngor Kehleay drives to the basket against SJV’s Alisa Apo. Following their heartbreaking Shore Conference Tournament finals loss to St. John Vianney on Saturday, the Monmouth Regional girls basketball team looks to take what it’s learned into the state tournament.
The Falcons picked the worst time to struggle with their shooting, as the Lancers took full advantage to run away en route to their 12th SCT title.
“We had a bad shooting game, unfortunately. It’s something that happens every once in a while,” said Monmouth head coach Audra Corson. “We learned a lot from that loss. I talked to the kids and made sure they learned from the loss.”
The Falcons have a first-round bye in the Central Jersey Group III state tournament and are slated to take on the winner of the Wall-Neptune first-round game later today. They’ve already beaten both of these division rivals twice this season, but coach Corson and her team know it won’t be any easier the third time around.
“We played both and beat both and won, but it’s always hard to beat a team three times,” said the coach. “We’re not going to take [them] for granted.”
If the team can manage to knock off either winner, they will then face the winner of the Colts Neck-West Windsor North second-round game in the sectional semifinal this weekend. Monmouth has split its regular season games, as well as the division title, with Colts Neck, and would like another shot at them.
“They’re a good team and we’re a good team,” said Corson. “We’d rather see them than West Windsor.”
To be successful in the state tournament, Corson knows her team is going to have to work on some different offensive schemes, and will rely on the senior leadership of Laura Forbes, Youngor Kehleay and Kate Fitzgerald.
“We’re going to run through our offensive sets and work on some different shots,” said Corson. “Hopefully, the experience of the seniors will help the younger kids play to their level.”
Notes… Among the other local girls teams in action today are the Red Bank Catholic Caseys.
RBC, the sixth seed in the Non-Public South A bracket, will travel to Lawrenceville to take on third-seeded Notre Dame. The winner will likely get second-seeded Camden Catholic on Saturday in the sectional semifinals.
Rumson-Fair Haven, the top seed in the CJ Group II bracket, will be playing the winner of yesterday’s A.L. Johnson-Somerville game later today in the second round.
On the other side of the bracket, the third-seeded Shore Regional Blue Devils will host the winner of yesterday’s Delaware Valley-Middlesex game.
In local boys action, SCT champion Christian Brothers Academy, the second seed in the Non-Public South A bracket, will host seventh-seeded Bishop Ahr today in the second round.
Shore Regional’s boys, the seventh seed in CJ Group II, took on A.L. Johnson (seeded 10th) yesterday in the first round, with the winner to get second-seeded Raritan later today.
Long Branch, the sixth seed in CJ Group III, was scheduled to host 11th-seeded Ocean yesterday, with the winner to take on Hopewell Valley later today.
That leaves Red Bank Regional’s boys, the fifth seed in North II, Group III. The Bucs were scheduled to host 12th-seeded Holmdel yesterday, with the winner to face either Voorhees (seeded 13th) or Millburn, the fourth seed, in today’s second round.