Redemption received: How Marlboro won its first boys basketball NJSIAA sectional title

MARLBORO — Two years ago, the Marlboro boys basketball team ascended to heights the program had never seen.

That season, the Mustangs went over 20 wins and reached an NJSIAA sectional final for the first time in school history.

Now, Marlboro can add another first to the program’s history and that’s the first NJSIAA Central Group 4 title in school history.

And it didn’t come easy.

A seven-point halftime lead got whittled down to as little as one point in the second half but the No. 1 seed Mustangs made one clutch play after another in the second half for a 75-67 win over No. 7 seed Trenton.

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Marlboro senior forward Jack Seidler led four players in double figures when he tallied 11 of his team-high 22 points in the first half and senior guard Zack Molod added 14 of his 20 points in the first half. In addition, senior forward Jay Ratner netted seven of his 13 points in the fourth quarter and Vincent Spatola had six of his 10 points in the second half.

Key play

With 22.1 seconds left, Marlboro’s Vincent Spatola battled for a rebound with a Trenton player, which resulted in a jump ball possession going back to Marlboro. The next significant play was Jonathan Spatola making two free throws with 20.1 seconds left and Marlboro extended its lead to, 74-65, making it a three-possession game.

By the numbers

7 – That was the largest lead of the game for Marlboro. With two free throws with 1:03 left in the second quarter, Marlboro’s Jack Seidler sent the Mustangs into halftime with the momentum and with a 39-32 lead. Seidler had 11 points, including a 4-for-5 showing at the free throw line, at the intermission.

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4 – The number of titles the Marlboro boys basketball team has won this season. There was the WOBM Christmas Classic title in December. There was the Shore Conference Class A North Division Title and the Shore Conference Tournament title in February. And now the NJSIAA Central Group 4 title in March.

Unsung heroes

Marlboro’s AJ Schwartz was called into duty off the bench when Molod, a starter, picked up his fourth foul in the third quarter. Schwartz got in on the offense with two points but more importantly played solid defense and the Mustangs didn’t miss a beat with him on the floor. In fact, they were able to hold off the Tornadoes for a 52-49 lead after three quarters. Molod returned to the game in the fourth quarter and didn’t foul out.

“I don’t know what’s with me and these championship games and (being in) foul trouble. But I know I can trust my teammates.” - Molod

They said it

“I think it was a mixture of us trying to stop them. We couldn’t stop them. They were going downhill to the rim. We could not stop them. They were getting layup after layup and then they weren’t finishing. So, we got lucky and we got some rebounds and we fought. That was the difference in the game. They got to the rim at will.” – Marlboro coach Michael Nausedas said.

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“Once it got closer, we said to each other that we are not losing this game no matter what. This is our last time on this court. It was a chance to get some redemption from sophomore year and to make school history. We were going to leave it all out here. We all knew we would win this game even when it got close. I can’t even describe it how this feels (to win a sectional title).” - Marlboro's Jack Seidler

What’s Next?

Marlboro advanced to the NJSIAA Group 4 State Semifinals. The Mustangs will face Lenape on Wednesday, March 9 at 7:30 p.m. at Egg Harbor Township. A trip to the NJSIAA Group 4 State Finals at Rutgers University on March 13 is on the line.

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Boxscore

Marlboro 75, Trenton 67

Trenton (19-10) 19-13-17-18 = 67

Marlboro (27-2) 23-16-13-23 = 75

Trenton: Moore 4 3-3 11, Bridgett 5 1-2 14, Hutson 11 2-4 24, Fields 1 2-3 4, Wilson 2 0-0 5, Williams 1 0-0 2, Correia 3 0-0 7, Bailey 0 0-0 0. Totals: 27 7-12 67.

Marlboro: V. Spatola 5 0-1 10, Molod 8 1-2 20, Ratner 5 3-5 13, J. Spatola 3 2-2 8, Seidler 7 7-11 22, Schwartz 1 0-0 2. Totals: 30 11-19 75.

Three-pointers: Trenton 5 (Bridgett 3, Wilson, Correia); Marlboro 4: (Molod 3, Seidler). Fouled out: Trenton: Hutson 11.7 seconds left in 4th quarter.

Sherlon Christie is a sports reporter at the Asbury Park Press and has covered sports at the Jersey Shore since 2004. Don't miss any of his coverage by subscribing at https://subscribe.app.com. You can contact him via e-mail at schristie@gannettnj.com, on Twitter at https://twitter.com/sherlonapp, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/sherlonapp and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/sherlon_christie

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Marlboro boys basketball wins first NJSIAA sectional title