money 'We always wanted this': Manasquan girls basketball is state champion for first time since 2018
TOMS RIVER – Destiny fulfilled.
The Manasquan group – particularly the strong senior group – knew it was the heir apparent to the Manasquan dynasty of the last decade. They knew that while their names weren’t as big as Mabrey or Flaherty, they purpose to bring another state championship back to the state public power.
It was a long time coming, but Manasquan finally accomplished just that.
In a dominant performance highlighted by more suffocating defense and timely scoring across its roster, Manasquan rolled past Jefferson 65-36 in the Group 2 final Sunday afternoon.
“Our goal was to get here,” Manasquan senior Dorothy Loffredo said. “We wanted to be here, our eyes were on this game. We wanted to win.”
What it means
The title is the eighth in program history for Manasquan (30-4), second most amongst public programs and tied with Red Bank Catholic for fourth overall. Continuing that winning tradition was something the senior group consisting of Loffredo, Mary Donnelly, Georgia Heine and Brooke Hollawell has dreamed of since they were in middle school.
Non-Public A final: St. John Vianney is state champion again after long wait
“We had a lot of confidence in this group and even in the past, we saw we could make it this far,” Donnelly said. “For this to be the end of our high school careers, we always wanted this.”
It took them some time. Manchester Township beat Manasquan twice in the Group 2 semifinals in both 2019 and 2020. Although it wouldn’t have mattered in 2020, since the state tournament was canceled.
Last year – when Manasquan looked like a scary state contender – there was no state tournament held. This March was their last opportunity to live out their dreams, and they did so.
“They were still young and in positions with pressure on them,” Manasquan head coach Lisa Kukoda said. “We knew that progression of getting them to their junior year and putting it all together senior year, we were ready for them. They had that expectation for themselves.”
Key plays
With Manasquan up 12-4 at the end of the first quarter after opening the game on an 8-0 run, Jefferson (26-4) came roaring back in the second and made it a game, trailing just 23-19 by halftime. Manasquan needed a wakeup call in the biggest game of the year.
“We talked about our energy a little bit and having a sense of urgency on both the offensive and defensive end,” Kukoda said. “I think we got a little bit complacent in the second quarter.”
Luckily for Manasquan, that call was answered at the start of the second half.
Hollawell kicked off an 8-2 run to start the third with a corner three-pointer. Jefferson responded with a three of its own, but sophomore Hope Masonius drained one of her own to keep the Manasquan run going. She finished the quarter with seven points.
Sophomore Katie Collins also rattled in a three late in the third as Manasquan outscored Jefferson 27-11 in the quarter.
“We had that drive within us that we can’t let this team beat us, we can’t end our season this way,” Heine said. “Us bringing that energy is driven by that.”
Hope Masonius led the team with 16 points while Donnelly added 10 and Hollawell chipped in 10. Loffredo and Heine finished with nine and six points, respectively.
What’s next
Manasquan advanced to its seventh Tournament of Champions in program history. The Warriors received the second seed and earned a bye into the semifinals.
Aside from Paul VI, no other New Jersey team has played favorite St. John Vianney closer this year than Manasquan has. With the Lancers eliminating Paul VI in the sectional finals earlier this week, Manasquan may be the best chance to unseat the Lancers.
“We want another crack at them for sure,” Loffredo said. “That’s where we’re trying to get to, so we need to take care of business leading up to that.”
Other state final action
The 2022 season was nothing short of historic in West Long Branch.
A dominant 40-point performance by junior Rylee Drahos led Shore to its first sectional title since 2003 and its third overall. The Blue Devils advanced to their first ever state final after squeaking out a win against Wildwood in the state semifinals.
Though a 66-31 loss to University thwarted their shot at their first state title and ended the season in disappointment, it can’t take away how marvelous the year was for Shore (19-13).
“If you told me six years ago Shore Regional would be on the same court as Manasquan, University, all these other great programs that were here, I don’t know if I would have believed you,” Shore head coach William Wishart said. “They never stopped believing… I’m proud of them.”
Drahos fully tapped into the potential she showed as an underclassman. Her 40-point eruption was one of the greatest moments in program history as she finished the year with 680 points.
She also eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau earlier this season. She finished her junior year with 1,105 points.
“She’s off the charts,” Wishart said. “She exceeded every single one of her goals, not only as a scorer, but as a leader to our program.”
Danny LoGiudice has covered local sports across New Jersey since 2014. Contact him at dlogiudice@gannettnj.com or @danny_logiudice on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Shore Conference girls basketball: Manasquan wins eighth state title
