By Jeff Appelblatt
Each win was history for Marlboro High School’s boys’ basketball team, starting with its Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinals victory over Freehold Township High School.
Never had the Mustangs made it to the tournament’s semifinals, but just a few days after beating the Patriots, Marlboro notched a semifinals win when it pulled out a close one against the Ranney School.
Between the wins at Toms River’s Pine Belt Arena and the immense number of fans the Mustangs had following them along, coach Mike Nausedas was excited by what he had been seeing and by the possibilities.
“I can’t believe how many people came here from Marlboro. That speaks volumes about the kids and the support we have,” the coach said after upsetting Ranney, 50-47. “This was like a home game for us. We know the court and we got great fan support. It was awesome.”
Though Nausedas didn’t want to think ahead to Marlboro’s first trip to the Shore Conference Tournament finals — not that night at least — he knew what his team would face in the finals Feb. 25 at Monmouth University.
The Mustangs would play against top-ranked Mater Dei Prep.
Right before Marlboro defeated Ranney, it took a fourth-quarter surge for Mater Dei to pull out a win against Toms River High School North. The Mariners led by three after three quarter, but a number of free throws and a crowd-wowing dunk for the Seraphs in the fourth was all the team needed to earn its trip to Monmouth. Mater Dei won on Toms River North’s home court, 73-68.
Nausedas was confident looking ahead, though.
“We are on a tear where we believe. And our confidence is unbelievable right now,” Marlboro’s coach said Feb. 21 — the same day the Seraphs and the Mustangs each secured a trip to the finals. “We started the season at Mater Dei in a scrimmage, and we’re finishing it with them.”
Marlboro senior Dan Weiss, who scored 13 points against Ranney, seemed like he would have been OK if the championship game was that same night in Toms River.
“We’re making history. We’ve never been here before. It’s a new ground for us,” he said. “We’re not nervous. We have a bunch of seniors on the team. [We] have a good supporting cast. We’re ready.”
However, when the fourth quarter rolled around four days later at Monmouth, it was Mater Dei that showed everyone it could keep going and wasn’t nervous.
The Mustangs and Seraphs were knotted up at 20-20 at halftime. Marlboro trailed by four points after three quarter, and then Mater Dei pulled away in the fourth, outscoring Marlboro, 16-7, and closing out the Mustangs’ dream of a Shore Conference Tournament title, 54-41.
It was the second year in a row Mater Dei won the conference tournament ring.
It was quickly onto the next tournament for Marlboro. On Feb. 27, the Mustangs (17-6) took on Princeton High School (12-13) in the first round of the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group IV Tournament.
The winner of that game will play again in the quarterfinals March 1.
