Shatsky, Famulare, Wagner head district girls hoops team
Marlboro High School’s drive to the NJSIAA
Central Jersey Group IV championship, led by a senior who refused to let her
team lose, highlighted the girls basketball season in the Freehold Regional
High School District. Nicole Shatsky, who missed out on
the 2014 state tournament because of a knee injury, came back with a vengeance
in 2015. Playing with a chip on her shoulder, she willed the Mustangs to the
state sectional title, seemingly making every big play along the way. She
scored 21, 18, 27 and 20 points during the playoff run, with the 27-point total
coming in the sectional finals when the Mustangs beat top-seeded Monroe
Township High School, 60-52, in overtime.
Of course, Shatsky didn’t make every
play. The senior guard had plenty of help along the way from a team of role
players who grew into their roles as the season progressed and stepped up big
in the playoffs. What carried the Mustangs
(21-7) throughout the season was their commitment to the team defense that head
coach Brad Hagensen brought to the team. Marlboro had to get through a very
good Freehold Township High School team during its playoff run. The Mustangs
survived in overtime, 43-40.
Led by 1,000-point scorers Sam
Famulare and Tori Wagner, Freehold Township went 18-10 and was one of the
Shore’s top teams. The Patriots made the quarterfinals of the conference and
state tournaments. Colts Neck High School may have lost
four of its five starters from the 2014 Central Jersey Group IV champions, but
when it came time to defend that title, the team showed the heart of a
champion. The Cougars (16-12) were 6-11 at one time and then reeled off 10
straight victories to make the playoffs. They advanced all the way to the
semifinals before Marlboro defeated them on their way to the championship.
Shatsky, Famulare and Wagner lead
the New Transcript’s 2015 All-Freehold Regional High School District Girls
Basketball Team. On the Fist Team with the trio are Freehold High School’s
Rebecca Cobb and Howell High School’s Gabby Greene.
Shatsky couldn’t have ended her
career on a higher note, leading the Mustangs to their first Central Jersey
Group IV title since 2004. She really moved her game into another gear in the
postseason. She was the difference in the overtime wins against Freehold Township
and Monroe. But she did more than score. She was the team’s leading playmaker
and played as hard on defense as anyone.
During the sectional finals in
Monroe, Shatsky netted her 1,000th career point on a free throw. She finished
her career with 1,025 points. She averaged 13.8 points this winter.
Famulare continued to grow as a
player and had her finest season this year. Over her four-year career, she
became more than a 3- point shooter as she developed her dribble drive and
became a finisher at the rim. She set a school record for career 3-pointers
with 197, including 68 this winter. The senior guard averaged 16 points
a game and finished her career with 1,136 points, good for fourth all-time at
the school. The Shore Conference coaches named
Famulare to their All-Shore Second Team.
The 6-foot-2 Wagner was the top post
player in the district. Like her four-year starting teammate Famulare, Wagner
also grew as a player. She became a very effective passer out of double teams,
finding the open shooter. Her inside scoring forced teams to double. She
averaged 12 points and eight rebounds a game in 2014-15. Wagner finished her career with
1,116 points, sixth all-time at the school. The St. Francis College of
Brooklyn-bound center pulled down 829 career rebounds, which is third all-time.
Four girls reached the 1,000-point
milestone this winter, and the Colonials’ Cobb was the first as she capped an
outstanding four-year career with that achievement. The post player averaged 15
points and 9.4 rebounds a game for the Colonials this year despite being the
team’s only real offensive threat. She moved her game to the outside more to be
a more versatile scorer. She is the third member of the
Colonials’ 2013 Central Jersey Group III championship team to score 1,000
career points. The others are the graduated Kim Dana and Camerin Spahn. Cobb
finished her career with 1,230 points.
Greene flew under the radar this
season as Howell struggled, but to anyone who played Howell, she was a top
priority to stop. One of the top 3-point marksmen in the Shore, the senior
guard nailed 65 treys during the season. Her ability to put the ball on the
floor and go to the basket gave her offensive game versatility. She averaged 12
points a game without much offensive support.
Second Team recognition goes to Katy Healy, Noelle Frost and Elise Brown of Colts Neck, Tatum Evans of Marlboro and Erin Rotundo of Manalapan High School. Evans was a force under the glass as a rebounder and defender. The junior forward complemented Shatsky’s scoring, averaging 9.9 points. She owned the backboards in the Monroe win. Frost blossomed this season and averaged a team-high 13 points a game for Colts Neck, while Seton Hall University-bound Healy was the team’s field general at point guard. Brown, a junior, averaged 11 points. Rotundo, a junior, topped the Braves, who used the frequent substitution — “the system” — in scoring and all-around play.
Second Team recognition goes to Katy Healy, Noelle Frost and Elise Brown of Colts Neck, Tatum Evans of Marlboro and Erin Rotundo of Manalapan High School. Evans was a force under the glass as a rebounder and defender. The junior forward complemented Shatsky’s scoring, averaging 9.9 points. She owned the backboards in the Monroe win. Frost blossomed this season and averaged a team-high 13 points a game for Colts Neck, while Seton Hall University-bound Healy was the team’s field general at point guard. Brown, a junior, averaged 11 points. Rotundo, a junior, topped the Braves, who used the frequent substitution — “the system” — in scoring and all-around play.
