Monroe Township high school also hosted the Group 2 Semifinal Round yesterday between 24-5 Manasquan Warriors and 23-8 Middle Township. Head coach Lisa Kukoda has done a fantastic job this season getting Manasquan to where they are right now and keeping them on a mission as a team. While Middle Township who is coached by John Leahy knew that this was going to be a tough matchup against the Warriors and had to play all four quarters with limited mistakes. Manasquan love the big moments and their players are always focused. Can Middle Township come up big or does Manasquan continue their run, let's find out.
Katie Collins got things going early for Manasquan, setting the tone right away on offense as Middle Township had trouble in first quarter. Warriors took advantage of their weaknesses to go on a scoring outburst and put the pressure on them. Manasquan got some big moments from Jordyn Hollawell, Olivia Shaughnessy, McKenna Karlson, Hope Masonius, and Shea Donnelly along with Collins. Warriors defense was outstanding throughout this game as they only gave up 2 in first quarter. Middle Township couldn't hit their free throws, missed some key shots and didn't really get calls from refs.
Manasquan Warriors had a 15-2 lead going into second quarter where Middle Township did make a run with better shooting. They were able to cut their lead to 13 before halftime. Hope Masonius was able to get yo free throw line, creating shots in many ways, Jordyn Hollawell and Olivia Shaughnessy hitting key buckets to help extend lead. McKenna Karlson did a great job of passing the ball finding open teammates and working as a team. Warriors lead was 28-15 going into halftime with Middle Township feeling some what confident that they could come back with right adjustments.
Hope Masonius is a great second half player also as she started to heat up for Manasquan. Their defense was outstanding outscoring Middle Township 24-9 in third and fourth quarters. Shea Donnelly and Katie Collins was huge in the rebounding category as they combined for 19 rebounds against Middle Township. Manasquan put this game away real quick with Middle Township having no answers left in this game. Manasquan comes up big again with a fantastic team performance, getting a 52-24 victory and advancing to Group 2 Final at Rutgers this Saturday.
Manasquan Warriors will now face Madison in the Group 2 Final Round on Saturday March 9th at 2:00 Pm Eastern and location Rutgers.
Leading scorers for Manasquan Warriors
Hope Masonius 12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
Katie Collins 9 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks, 1 steal
Olivia Shaughnessy 9 points, 4 rebounds
Jordyn Hollawell 7 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 steals
Shea Donnelly 6 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists
McKenna Karlson 5 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block
Photo Credit 📹 Mike Franco
Hope Masonius leading the way for Manasquan Warriors
Photo Credit 📹 Mike Franco
Comments