By Jeff Appelblatt
A free throw is meant to be a simple. It’s an uncontested shot earned after a basketball player is fouled. It’s sometimes referred to as shooting from the charity stripe because it’s a free shot. The only challenges are the sounds of the arena.
Two players who find relative ease in making their free throws are Marlboro High School’s Dylan Kaufman and Daniel Weiss. In Marlboro’s game Dec. 20 at Colts Neck High School, the two didn’t hesitate to knock down a dozen free throws during the close game that had them facing the group of chanting, waving Colts Neck fans. They were clearly unfazed, swishing free throw after free throw.
Marlboro coach Mike Nausedas wasn’t surprised by the performances at the line, even though his club didn’t shoot them so well in its previous game against Donovan Catholic High School.
“We shot a lot of free throws in practice yesterday because we did not shoot well the last game,” Marlboro’s coach said. “[We missed] 50 percent or something like that. But obviously [the practice] worked.”
Missing about half their free throws didn’t truly matter against Donovan Catholic Dec. 18. The Mustangs won that game, 52-37.
Once Marlboro took a 50-49 lead with less than four minutes remaining against Colts Neck, free throws became huge. And when the clock ran out, the Mustangs had downed the Cougars, 59-54. For the game, Kaufman scored 20 and Weiss scored 13.
When they weren’t at the line, Ryan LaRocca was camped out behind the 3-point arc. He knocked down three of those baskets. Justin Marcus, meanwhile, stayed on the inside, scoring 15 for Marlboro.
Nausedas was ecstatic that his team pulled out the win, especially because of the game’s location.
“This is huge. We came in here last year. They knocked us out in the states. It meant a lot coming in here right now, [winning] this crosstown rivalry [game],” the coach said.
The win was also satisfying coming against a Colts Neck team coached by a longtime veteran who got used to winning even before his last 18 years with the Cougars.
“Lou Piccola is a legend here. Anytime you go against a coach like that and get a win, it feels good,” Nausedas said.
Marlboro had a 29-20 lead at halftime, but the Cougars — behind Brendan Clarke, who scored 20, and Danny Gaines, who added 18 — turned it into a game that every possession mattered before the third quarter was over.
“The good news is we fought back, took the lead [and] had a chance,” Piccola said. “But a one-possession game, you can look at the whole thing. Interior defense as well as interior offense was the difference in the game.
“Their interior play really took over the game. They out-rebounded us. We didn’t have answers to Kaufman inside.”
Piccola was impressed with Kaufman’s play.
“He’s a good player. He learned from last year as a freshman. He got stronger, and they’re going more to him,” Colts Neck’s coach said. “If Kaufman wasn’t here tonight, do we win this game?”
As much as Piccola’s answer to the question silently came across as yes, it doesn’t seem like he’d guarantee any victories against Shore Conference A North Division opponents.
“It’s the A North; the Big East,” he said, drawing comparisons between the division his team plays in and the tough college basketball conference.
Marlboro’s coach, on the other hand, only has his head up looking forward no matter who his team will see this season.
“We’re just looking to take it one game at a time right now. Every game is a battle,” Nausedas said.
As long as his team continues with the camaraderie he’s seen on and off the court, he’s excited to see what his players could do.
“We’re really sticking together as a family and a team,” Nausedas said. “We’re staying together. It’s a great group of guys. [It’s the] best family atmosphere in five years.”
Colts Neck got back in the win column Dec. 22 when it traveled to Manalapan High School. The winless Braves outplayed the Cougars in the first quarter, but Colts Neck woke up before halftime and turned a six-point deficit into a nine-point lead. Momentum stayed with Colts Neck in the third quarter, and it outscored Manalapan, 29-15. There was no coming back from that. The Cougars went on to win, 85-70.
The Cougars have off until Jan. 3 at 6:30 p.m., when they’ll travel to face Toms River High School North. Manalapan, meanwhile, was still in search of its first win Dec. 27 when Union High School traveled to Manalapan.
Marlboro hosted Howell High School Dec. 22. The Mustangs went up big early but fought complacency in the third. Howell just didn’t have the power to fully overcome the large deficit, though, and the Mustangs held on to win, 56-40.
Marlboro played Dec. 27 in Belmar when the team from St. Rose High School hosted the first round of the annual WOBM Christmas Classic.
Like Manalapan, Howell went into its contest Dec. 27 at Mainland Regional High School looking for its first win.
