Basketball season comes to an end for three Brick teams

BRICK TOWNSHIP — Brick Memorial's boys basketball team was supposed to be the last team standing in the NJSIAA Tournament.

But it was the school's girls team that outlasted the boys team, until Friday night, when the Mustangs were eliminated by Montgomery, 64-41, in the NJSIAA Group IV Central Jersey semifinals to draw an end to their greatest season ever at 16-11.

A compressed schedule that meant playing three games in four days took its toll on the girls team. But they ended up with their greatest season ever at 16-11.

The loss came a day after Brick Memorial's boys team slipped to Freehold Township. Brick Township's girls lost their state tournament opener to Hopewell Valley on Tuesday.

"We struggled scoring because we were tired, playing three games in four days," coach Rayna Post said. She referred to a Tuesday opening-round victory over Sayreville that was moved from Monday because of a snowstorm, followed by a victory on Wednesday over Jackson. All three games were on the road, which made it even tougher.

"Montgomery played a very tough manto man defense," Post said. "We were looking for a wide open shot and did not get it and then we didn't take our shots."

Montgomery, located just outside of Princeton, moved out to a 29-15 halftime lead, and Brick Memorial was in hot pursuit from there, although Post saw some redemption in the fourth quarter with 17 points, which matched any two of the previous three quarters combined. "That was a good thing to see," Post said.

Kathryn Lamastra, who led the Mustangs in scoring this season averaging a dozen points a game, fired in a game high 13 points. But Stephanie Fish was the only other player to provide any other meaningful scoring with nine points. Fish and Jessica Ball each grabbed nine rebounds.

"We had played two tough games and that was hard. We got tired and didn't pick it up until the fourth quarter," said Lamastra, who is taking her talents this fall to Montclair State. "We just wanted to prove ourselves and did that by making both tournaments."

Now Post will prepare for next season with a veteran team and to prepare for her first baby that is due in September.

"It was a little tough being pregnant all season," Post said.

"We had our ups and downs but we never gave up, which showed in the fourth quarter of this last game," she said. "We always came back. We were not ready to stop our season. There was a lot of stuff said out there about us losing games in the fourth quarter and losing games we should've won and we knew that and proved that (otherwise) in the states."

That will reassure the many returnees on the team, which will lose three seniors, including Lamastra, Corrine Daffeldecker, who was out for part of the season with an injury, and Nicole Reilly.

Ball, the second leading scorer averaging 11 points per game, is one of six juniors along with point guard Kristen Brown; Fish; Bethany Butka, who missed part of the season with a back injury; Nicole Cartier and Courtney Domaleski, who missed virtually the entire season with mononucleosis.

Also expected back is sophomore Jackie Caravella, who worked her way into significant playing time but sat out a few games at the end of the regular season with a sprained ankle. Caravella also was a significant player on the school's girls soccer team that won a second straight Shore Conference A South championship.

"We have her back and some other young players up from the junior varsity who really helped us. It does look very promising," Post said.

Brick Memorial advanced in the state tournament with a 57-46 victory on Tuesday over Sayreville behind Ball's season high 24 points. Brown and Lamastra added 12 and 11 points, respectively, as the Mustangs erased a four-point halftime deficit.

The following day, they knocked off Jackson Memorial, 59-41, to avenge a pair of six-point losses during the Shore Conference A South season.

"They (Jackson) were missing their big player with a broken ankle but we played a great game," Post said.

Lamastra led the way with 20 points and Bethany Butka pumped in 16. Brick Memorial regrouped from a 13-10 first-quarter deficit with a dominant 18-2 second-quarter surge to take a 28-15 lead at halftime. Jackson slipped to 17-9.

"It was a lot of things, many players had a part in that," Post said.

Brick Memorial's boys, who won their third Shore Conference A South championship in five years with a senior-laden roster, saw their season end in a 79-74 upset loss to Freehold Township. Matt Devine pumped in 40 points to lead the No. 7 seeded-Patriots past the Mustangs in the NJSIAA Group IV quarterfinals on Tuesday.

A

s for Brick Township girls, first-year

head coach Kristi McCullough said she thought her team "played well, but not well enough to beat" Hopewell Valley in a 58-47 loss on Tuesday to close the season 13-12. Vicky DeTata led the way with 24 points and Victoria Finelli had a dozen while Kat Connelly had another fine defensive game.

"When we win games, we have balanced scoring and we need to do that to come together as a team," McCullough said.

She loses seniors DeTata, Finelli, Connelly and Heather Leone. Coming back are junior Lauren McElroy, and sophomores Chelsea Florczak, Shaniece Hardy and Larissa Forese. Florczak usually was the first substitute coming off the bench into the game.