The Marlboro High School girls’ basketball team learned from past errors when it scored a wire-to-wire victory over Howell High School.
The Mustangs secured the victory on their home court in Marlboro, stopping the Rebels by a final score of 40-25 on Dec. 21.
Marlboro raced to open the game on an 11-0 run and finished the first quarter with a 13-6 advantage. The Rebels battled back, holding the Mustangs to just eight points each in the second and third quarters.
However, Marlboro outscored Howell, 11-8, in the fourth period to seal the game, improving its record to 2-1 on the season.
Senior Jessica Broad led the charge for the Mustangs with 11 points. Junior Gisella Romeo chipped in with eight points and sophomore Samantha Nocco scored nine points.
Howell senior Rachel Gazzola connected on a game-high 16 points, while senior Liz Capestro had two points. Senior Lauren Kocsis and junior Jessica O’Brien had three points each, and Anna Catanzaro chipped in with a point off a free throw. The loss dropped the Rebels’ record to 0-2 on the season.
Marlboro coach Brad Hagensen was happy with the victory, but he thought the team’s defense could have been better.
“We played very well in the first half, especially defensively,” Hagensen said. “We forced them to take some difficult shots, and we boxed out well. In the second half, we kind of had a little bit of a meltdown defensively. We gave them some open looks, and they are a very good 3-point-shooting team. They also don’t quit. They’re very physical, and we allowed them to get back in the game.”
Senior small forward Isabella O’Hare, who had four points against Howell, was happy with the fact that the team was able to improve on past mistakes in order to win.
O’Hare pointed to the Mustangs’ 35-29 loss to Colts Neck High School on Dec. 19 as the team’s motivation when facing the Rebels.
“I think we did very well considering that one of our losses [on Dec. 19] was because of physicality,” O’Hare said. “So today, we came back and improved on what we lacked in the last game, and it resulted in a win.”
Hagensen thinks if the team can continue to commit to working hard and learning, the sky will be the limit.
“The goal for us is to just get better every day,” Hagensen said. “Come in. Work hard. Learn something every day and improve. That’s the only goal.”
The team has seven underclassmen on the roster. O’Hare believes the team’s youth has factored into why the team hasn’t reached its full potential yet, stating the chemistry isn’t quite there yet. However, she believes with a little more time, the team can come together.
“Some of the freshmen are a little out of sorts right now — not even on the court, but off of it,” she said. “So I think if me and our other senior, Broad, can get the team together, be leaders and show them how it’s done, I think we’ll be much better because we’ll be closer.”
