RBC hangs on to upset Marlboro in SCT final
Caseys remain
undefeated with
48-46 win
By tim morris
Staff Writer

VERONICA YANKOWSKI Red Bank Catholic’s Alisa Kresge looks to pass around Marlboro’s Chakhia Cole during the Caseys’ win at Red Bank Regional on Friday.

Don’t sweat the little things, people say. But it’s the little things that keep coaches up at night, and it’s the little things that can decide a basketball game when two equal teams go at it.

There was little to choose from between Marlboro and Red Bank Catholic Friday night when the state’s second- and third-ranked teams met for the Shore Conference Tournament championship at Red Bank Regional High School. However, after 32 minutes of riveting basketball, RBC emerged with 48-46 victory, once again depriving Marlboro of its first SCT crown.

The undefeated Caseys (23-0) of Joe Montano played a picture-perfect game in up-ending Marlboro (21-3). Thanks to guard Alisa Kresge, the Caseys played the game at their tempo and throttled Marlboro’s up-tempo game. Forward Erin Cusmano contained Chakhia Cole, preventing the Marlboro forward from being a factor in the half-court game. Cusmano and Danielle Storz each hit a pair of three-pointers that loomed large. And, with the game on the line, Kresge and Heather Westrol hit big free throws.

"I couldn’t be any happier," Montano said after the game. "They’ve answered every bell. I told the girls to just be yourself and play hard. They’ve been the epitome of a team all year. Every night someone picks us up."

VERONICA YANKOWSKI A pair of RBC players celebrate their victory over Marlboro in the SCT finals at Red Bank Regional.

Cusmano, an unsung star for the Caseys this year, did it again Friday, doing the little things, like boxing out. She kept Cole from doing what she does best, dominating the offensive boards, and that in turn helped slow the Marlboro offense to a crawl.

"Cole is a great player, and she’s very strong," said Cusmano. "I just wanted to keep her off the boards. I didn’t care if I got the rebound or not as long as it was

someone in green. Boxing out is something we have done well all year. We don’t give up second and third shots."

Containing Cole was one of the defensive goals of the Caseys.

"Our idea was that Zoll and Cole had to beat us shooting jump shots," said Montano. "If they hit their shots, they were going to beat us."

For three quarters, Marlboro and RBC slugged it out, with neither team able to seize control. The Mustangs owned a 22-20 lead at the half thanks to three-point shots from Sharnee Zoll and Brina Pollack late in the second period.

RBC, though, took the lead back when Cusmano opened the second half with a three-pointer. A 12-7 cushion in that period helped the Caseys take a 32-29 lead into the fourth quarter as Beth DePalo netted four points.

A three-pointer by Storz at the start of the quarter opened up the game’s biggest lead, 35-29. They would increase it to 39-31 with 5:50 remaining in the game and for the first time, Marlboro was in serious trouble.

The Mustangs, though, have been there before. They trailed Christ the King, then the No. 1 team in the country, by seven in the fourth quarter in the Battle on the Boardwalk back in January before rallying for their biggest win.

There was no panic in the Mustangs. Cole got a rare inside basket and Jenna Gatto hit a free throw and the lead was sliced to 39-34.

Kresge, who had had trouble making her free throws in the first half, made two big ones with 4:01 left to push the lead back up to 41-34.

Kresge hurt Marlboro on both ends Friday night. She set the tone on defense and her ability to break Marlboro’s press prevented the Mustangs from effectively attacking RBC, according to co-head coach Ed Zucker.

"We wanted to press more, but we were concerned about Kresge," he pointed out. "She was dribbling through us at will and penetrating."

It was the dribble penetration that was still hurting the Mustangs in the fourth quarter and getting Kresge to the line.

"Alisa is a gamer," noted Montano.

But as perfect as RBC was playing, the Caseys knew the last four minutes would be gut-wrenching.

"They showed a lot of heart," said Montano. "We didn’t expect them to quit."

Neither did Zucker.

"Our kids just kept battling," he said. "We lost our composure and went too much on one-on-one basketball when they opened up that eight-point lead.

"We told the girls during the time out that we had to chip away at the lead one point at a time," he added.

Still down seven with less than a minute remaining, the Mustangs almost stole victory from the jaws of defeat. The Mustangs finally got the press to work as Zoll came up with back-to-back steals that led to Cole baskets. The second resulted in a three-point play that cut the lead to 43-41. Another turnover off the press led to Cole getting fouled going to the basket. She made one of two free throws to trim the lead to a single point 43-42.

In 36 seconds, the Mustangs had scored six points and the Caseys were reeling. But Kresge stepped up and made three of four free throws in a 20-second span to make it 46-42 with just 40 seconds remaining. Pollack would somehow spin a driving lay-up off the glass for two with 26.1 seconds left and it was 46-44. Kresge’s free throw with 23.3 left made it 47-44. Gatto scored on an offensive rebound with seven seconds left to cut the lead to one once again 47-46. Heather Westrol was fouled with only 3.1 seconds left in the game and made one of two to get the lead back to two. Marlboro had the ball under its own basket with just 3.1 seconds left, yet got an open three-pointer from the baseline.

"It’s a play we work on in practice all the time and we were able to get an open shot," said Zucker.

Zoll passed the ball the length of the court to Cole just inside the three-point arc. Cole quickly passed the ball to Pollack in the corner. One head-and-shoulder fake left the guard with an open shot from three-point range that would have won the game, had it gone in. The shot missed the rim and RBC had survived.

Pollack credited Kresge and the Casey defense for not making it easy on the Mustangs.

"She (Kresge) is one of the best defenders I’ve played against," she pointed out. "They always have a hand in your face."

RBC took full advantage of its biggest edge — depth. Montano used a nine-player rotation, always keeping fresh legs on the court. Marlboro had just a six-player rotation thanks to an injury (Celi Sibony) and discipline (Sarah Tanen). Kresge led the Caseys with 11 but had plenty of help from Westrol and Cusmano (eight) and DePalo (seven). This was the third SCT crown for Montano’s Caseys. They also won in 2000 and 2001.

Pollack had a game-high 17, including three three-pointers. Cole ended up with 13 thanks to her late flurry.