Survival Instincts: Manasquan edges past Cinnaminson 36-33 to advance to the Group 2 State Championship

MONROE TOWNSHIP – The final result did not come as easily this year as it did the past two years in the Group 2 Semifinals, but as elite programs tend to do Manasquan (25-5) found a way to close out a hard-fought fourth quarter and defeat Cinnaminson (30-2) 36-33 to return to the Group 2 State Championship for the third straight season.

The previous two years the Warriors defeated South Jersey Group 2 champion Middle Township by 28 points and 18 points, but this year’s Cinnaminson team took Manasquan to the limit before the Warriors were able to close the game out at the foul line. 

“Playing in this environment, it’s loud, it’s chaotic, so it’s our communication on the court that helps us the most,” senior guard Jordyn Hollawell said. “We’re really connected on the court, so when we play as one unit instead of just five individuals it really helps out.”

That connection proved to be critical in the final 1:17 with the game on the line tied 31-31. The Warriors turned to two of their seniors to keep their season alive. Hollawell kept her head up and found senior guard Shannon Looney on a beautifully executed backdoor cut to give the Warriors a 33-31 lead.

“I love playing with Shannon [Looney],” Hollawell said. “She is always able to make the right play and I love finding her. She is a great competitor and she is just an overall great person to be on the floor with. I had a lot of confidence in her and so did our whole team.”

On the following possession, Hollawell came down with the ball on defense and fell along the baseline barely keeping herself from going out-of-bounds before calling a timeout. She was then fouled on the next possession and calmly sunk both free throws to extend the lead to 35-31. The Pirates would come down and convert on a quick layup to cut it to 35-33 before fouling Hollawell again who hit 1-of-2 free throws to increase the lead to 36-33. In the final seconds, a Cinnaminson player drove to the basket with no timeouts left and missed instead of shooting a potential game-tying three-pointer which sealed their fate.

Manasquan returns to Rutgers University for the third straight season to play for the Group 2 State Championship. If the Warriors win it will be their 12th state title in program history and move them into a tie for third place in New Jersey history alongside Malcolm X Shabazz. The Warriors play Caldwell on Saturday at 4 p.m. Caldwell routed Glen Rock 68-43 in the other Group 2 semifinal and looks to poised to give Manasquan a challenge.

“It’s everything and getting back to the Group 2 championship has been our focus for the entire season,” Looney said. “We know the next three days are going to be tough. We are going to have tough practices, but we are ready for that and we are ready for the challenge. It is the hard work we put in every single day that is getting us there.”

After a slow start that saw Looney and Hollawell pick up two fouls which included a technical foul on Hollawell for arguing a call, Manasquan head coach Lisa Kukoda was forced to go to the bench early in the first quarter. Sophomore guard Reece Rampone checked in and made an impact on the offensive end by draining a three-pointer to give Manasquan their first lead of the game, 5-2.

“We are fortunate to have three primary defenders with Shannon [Looney], Logan [McCarthy], and Reese [Rampone],” Manasquan head coach Lisa Kukoda said. “We knew between the three of them that we could adjust some matchups based on foul trouble.”

Manasquan was able to close out the half on an 8-0 run to take a 16-10 lead. Hollawell led the team with seven points during that run to finish with eight for the half. 

The Warriors built a 24-16 lead in the third quarter, their biggest of the game, but the Pirates were able to go on a 9-0 run to take a one-point lead. Junior guard Gabby Harvey led the Pirates with seven of her game-high 14 points during that run. 

Manasquan continued to battle foul trouble in the second half and would eventually wind up with two players fouling out of the game. Sophomore guard Calista Vowteras, who finished with eight points, was the first player to foul out. One of her fouls appeared to be questionable when a Cinnaminson player tripped and Vowteras kicked the ball. This started a string of fouls called against Manasquan that resulted in Kukoda arguing with a referee and getting hit with a technical foul, Manasquan’s second of the game. 

“When we first started this team we talked about the team’s inexperience,” Kukoda said. “I think it just goes to show their growth and maturity throughout the course of the season and being in competitive environments throughout the season obviously helped them battle through that. This was probably the toughest environment we’ve been in at this point.”

After Cinnaminson took a 25-24 lead into the fourth quarter, both teams exchanged baskets throughout the final quarter, not allowing the other team to take more than a one-point lead until the game-changing backdoor cut shortly after the 1:17 mark.

Hollawell finished with a team-high 13 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists, Looney added 11 points. Vowteras chipped in eight points despite fouling out early in the fourth quarter.

“Coach [Kukoda] said it perfectly in the locker room that we responded to adversity extremely well,” Looney said. “The gym was going nuts, but we just focused on ourselves. We focus on the people on the bench, what our coaches are saying and the five girls out there and that is all that matters.”