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Colonials are fulfilling coach’s promise to them

Freehold’s girls basketball seeded third for CJ III tourney

BY TIM MORRIS

Staff Writer

Jenn Brzucki’s promise to her Freehold High School girls basketball team is being fulfilled.
The Colonials’ seniors are experiencing the success that their head coach promised them three years ago when she put three freshmen — Kim Dana, Sara Cobb and Camerin Spahn — in the starting lineup.  Dana, a point guard who became the program’s seventh 1,000-point career scorer when the Colonials defeated Red Bank Regional High School in the first round of the Shore Conference Tournament on Feb.12, recalled being overwhelmed at first.

“We all started as freshmen and we struggled,” she said. “Coach Brzucki was patient with us. She told us by our senior year, ‘I promise it will work out.’”  With a 17-4 record and an outside shot to share the Shore Conference B North Division title, things have obviously worked out.
“It’s nice to be on the other (winning) end,” Dana said.  The Colonials finished division play at 10-2. Neptune High School is 10-1 with one game to play. If the Fliers lose, it would create a co-championship.
Brzucki has a simple explanation for Freehold’s record.  “The girls work hard and are very unselfish,” she said. “They are great kids on and off the court.”  Freehold actually began to bear the fruits of Brzucki’s decision last winter when the Colonials qualified for the Shore Conference Tournament (SCT) and state playoffs.  This year has been even better. Statement wins over Middletown High School South, the No. 4 seed in the SCT and the A North Division champions, and Neptune have proved the Colonials can play with the best.

“We want to put Freehold Borough on the map,” said Dana.  Winning is not new to Dana, Spahn and Cobb.  “We all grew up together,” she said. “We won championships at Eisenhower (Middle School).”  That familiarity, she added, leads to “good chemistry.”  While the three seniors have been the nucleus behind the team’s rise in the Shore Conference ranks, they’ve had help.
Sophomore Rebecca Cobb (Sara’s younger sister) is one of the team’s double figure scorers (12 points per game) and leads the club in rebounding. Spahn (14) and Dana (11) are also averaging double figures.  “We’re so unselfish,” Dana said of the reason for Freehold’s balanced scoring.
The Cobb sisters and Spahn control the glass on both ends for Freehold. Sara, the standout goalie on the soccer team, brings that hustle and intensity to the defense end of the floor. Last year, Sophia Duffy gave the team a lift off the bench as a freshman. This year, she’s contributing as a starter in the backcourt with Dana.  Junior Samantha Kandell adds her brand of hustle to the squad.
Freehold was seeded 13th in the SCT and picked up a nice win in the opening round over Red Bank Regional, 81-51.

Dana nets 1,000th career point
The big news in Freehold’s game against Red Bank Regional game was Dana scoring her 1,000th career point. It came late in the first quarter on a 3-pointer, which gave her eights point in the game at that point and an even 1,000 on he career.  A timeout was called to celebrate the moment, which caught Dana offguard.  “I didn’t know the exact number of points I needed,” she said. “I just wanted to let the game come to me.  “I loved not knowing, it made me focus on the game,” she said.
When the moment came, though, she said, “It feels great. It makes me feel better knowing all my hard work paid off.”

Dana said she was inspired by Shannon Mayrose, the Colonials’ all-time leading scorer (1,728).
“It (1,000 points) was my goal since Shannon Mayrose did it,” Dana said. “I was in eighth grade and it’s something I always wanted to do.”  Dana finished the game with 17 points as the Colonials picked up their 17th win.  Spahn also had a big outing with 19 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.
Next up for the Colonials on Feb. 14 was the Middletown South team that they upset in January.
The Eagles were ready this time and held the Colonials off, 38-30. Dana scored a game-high 15 points for Freehold, which slipped to 17-5. The Eagles improved to 18-2.

The Colonials are the No. 3 seed for the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III Tournament, which will begin on Feb. 26. The Colonials will host 14th-seeded Red Bank Regional in what will be the fourth game between the clubs this season. After the SCT win, Freehold is 3-0 against the Buccaneers.
Colts Neck High School is the 12th seed in CJ III and will open on the road at No. 5 Lawrence High School.  Middletown South is the top seed.