All FRHSD Team

News Transcript Article - Click Me or Read Below!


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.