Shore Conference Girls Basketball All-Stars Put On One Final Show
MANASQUAN – The high school basketball season in the Shore Conference officially came to an end Thursday night when the senior all-stars took the court in Manasquan. Four teams played a down to one winner. After defeating Team Heart in their first game, Team Energy defeated Team Hustle 48-38 led by all-star MVP Grace Feeney of Trinity Hall with 16 points.
Grace Feeney receives MVP Trophy from Mike Lazur, Coaches Association President. 3/26/26 Photo by Patrick Olivero
“It got real serious at the end especially with a couple of us who are real good friends who play on RISE [a travel basketball organization] together,” Feeney said. “We started chirping a little bit, but it was all fun. We weren’t taking it too seriously in the beginning, but when the championship is on the line it gets real intense.”
Hosted by the Shore Conference Girls Basketball Coaches’ Association, the traditional format changed last season and new rules were put in place. Both teams played 16 minute halves with a running clock. After the clock ran out in the second half the team’s played until a team reached a set point total. In the play-in games they added seven points to the team that was leading and the winner would be who hit that mark first. In the championship game they added nine points.
Team Energy was beating Team Hustle 36-33 after regulation in the championship game, so the first team to reach 47 would be declared the winner. Red Bank Catholic guard Lola Giordano scored Team Energy’s winning basket after she stole the ball and hit a short jumper. She finished with 11 points in the final and added six points in the first game.
Lola Giordano finished with 11 points and scored the game winner in the Senior All-Star game at Manasquan. 3/26/26 Photo by Patrick Olivero
“It gives a different feel to the game,” Ocean head coach Mike Lazur said. “It had a climatic ending last year and we brought that tonight. The girls did an awesome job. There were close games and there was a lot of intrigue and you can see the play get turned up there in the last game a little bit.”
The first game of the night was a back-and-forth affair that Team Energy won after going on a 14-2 run in the second-half to defeat Team Heart 57-55.
Harvard commit Sophie Smith led Team Heart with a game-high 20 points. The RBC forward controlled the paint on the offensive side of the floor. Synai Blychanton along with Feeney helped lead Team Energy’s comeback, combining for 31 points. Blychanton, who led Red Bank Regional in scoring, finished with a team-high 17 points.
Sophie Smith finished with 20 points in the Senior All-Star Game at Manasquan. 3/26/26 Photo by Patrick Olivero
“It is such a high level of basketball in the Shore Conference,” Feeney said. “I am so blessed to get to play with such great players every single day at practices or at games. It helped prepare me for the next level.”
In the second game, Team Hustle jumped all over Team Attitude with a 61-40 victory. Shore Regional’s Ava Coyle, a Gettysburg commit, scored a game-high 18 points to lead Team Hustle.
RBC teammates Daniela Maletsky and Scarlet LeVake did what they always do with Maletsky playing strong defense and LeVake controlling the boards. Levake, who is committed to New Hampshire, finished with 15 points in the game.
In the championship game, Maletsky was making a case for Player of the Game, finishing with 12 points and several steals.
Daniela Maletsky in the Senior All-Star Game. 3/26/26 Photo by Patrick Olivero
The Coaches Association worked hard to give the players the platform to put on one last show on for their families and friends. Lazur, who became the President of the Coaches Association this season, helped put this event together with the other coaches in the Shore Conference.
Several other coaches played a big factor in the success of this event. Manasquan coach Lisa Kukoda, who was recognized by the Coaches Association as the Coach of the Year, hosted the event. Rumson-Fair Haven head coach Dave Callahan was the public address announcer for the second straight year and several other coaches were on the bench coaching the teams.
Lisa Kukoda received her Coach of the Year Award from the Coaches Association with Mike Lazur, Lily Johnson (lft) and Jordyn Hollawell. 3/26/26 Photo by Patrick Olivero
“We continue to try to grow as an organization and as a conference ,” Lazur said. “We want to promote and let everybody know how special Shore Conference girls basketball really is. It was said earlier we are probably one of the premier conferences in the United States and I truly believe that. We have great teams and great coaches out there.”
