Cougar Coronation: Colts Neck girls pull away from Red Bank to Capture 5th Sectional Title

Colts Neck – It was a battle between a senior laden team and a young sophomore team.  Youth prevailed over experience as top-seeded Colts Neck (23-6) took over in the fourth quarter to defeat six-seed Red Bank (14-13) 43-28 to win their 5th sectional title in the program’s history. 

Trailing 26-24 towards the end of the third quarter, Red Bank had multiple chances to tie or take the lead, but the Cougars defense stiffened. Colts Neck was able to carry a 29-24 lead into the fourth quarter after sophomore forward Allison McAndrew drove hard to the basket and drew the foul to complete the three-point play. McAndrew’s play allowed the Cougars to seize the momentum which carried into the final quarter.

The Cougars’ defense held the Bucs to just four points in the fourth quarter and outscored them 14-4 to blow the game open and secure the victory. McAndrew scored 12 of her game-high 17 points in the second half for Colts Neck. 

“It shows how hard we’ve been working all season,” McAndrew said. “On and off the court we are working all the time and this is really a great way to end our sectional run and continue next week.”

McAndrew, who is a sophomore, transferred from Trinity Hall after her freshman year. She saw limited minutes with the Monarchs who had a team loaded with upperclassmen. At Colts Neck, she immediately became a starter and has put together a strong second half of the season. McAndrew will be in the conversation for Most Improved Player of the Year after raising her point total from 3.5 PPG last year to 14 PPG this year.

“I think she [McAndrew] is starting to realize how good she could really be,” Colts Neck head coach Nick Russo said. “We’ve let her grow. A couple of times she’ll be looking at me and I’m like just go. Don’t play with it, just go.”

After giving up a three-pointer to start the game to Red Bank, Colts Neck went on a 9-0 run to take a 9-3 lead. The Bucs would battle back several times throughout the game and made it a one-possession game for the majority of the third quarter. 

Senior guard Synai Blychanton helped keep Red Bank in the game in the second quarter, scoring seven of her team-high 14 points. Senior guard Riley Wheeler made back-to-back three-pointers early in the third quarter to cut the Cougars lead to three points, 24-21. 

 

Colts Neck received a boost of energy off the bench when their lone senior Gabby Bryce entered the game. She has provided energy, defense and senior leadership off the bench all season for the young Cougars.

“She [Bryce] is everything to these guys,” Russo said. “She’s a softball player so basketball is not her primary sport. Last year she almost didn’t come out for the team. I found out the weekend before tryouts she decided and now you can’t get her out of the gym. She is in here shooting and stays. It’s great.”

Sophomore Julianna Jasina was the focal point of the Cougar offense in the first half. She scored nine of her 12 points in the half to help Colts Neck build a 21-15 lead. Colts Neck runs their offense through Jasina in the high post and she helps give them an edge on the boards. She finished with a game-high eight rebounds and the Cougars felt her absence when she was in foul trouble in the second half.

Colts Neck won their 23rd game of the season and have been ranked as high as fifth in the Shore Sports Insider Top 10. The young Cougars struggled to close out games early in the season against top competition, but that changed later in the season. After falling to Trinity Hall 51-47 in their first meeting, Colts Neck defeated the Monarchs in their second meeting 32-24 to clinch the Class B North title. 

“It was the first Trinity Hall game,” said Russo when the team finally clicked. “We were down 41 to 14 in the second quarter with two minutes to go in the half. We came back and pulled within two with two something [minutes] to go. I think they realized then the problem was defense and we didn’t lock in every possession. Once they learned that you have to play hard every possession, then things started to change.”

Colts Neck will play Moorestown in the Group 3 Semifinals at Central Regional High School on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The only state title in Colts Neck’s history came in 2009 when they defeated Columbia for the Group 4 title led by legendary all-state guards Lauren Clarke and Brooke Hampton.