By Scott Stump – Senior Editor
*Note* The Stumpy Awards will be released on Thursday after coverage of the Senior All-Star game.*
The Shore Conference is loaded with young talent, so after saying goodbye to Player of the Year Kristina Danella, who had a brilliant career at Red Bank Catholic, this list is going to get harder and harder in the next few seasons.
Congratulations to all of the selections and all of the Shore teams that made this another great season of girls basketball.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
KRISTINA DANELLA, SR., F/C, RED BANK CATHOLIC
CO-COACHES OF THE YEAR
DAWN KARPELL, ST. JOHN VIANNEY AND JOHN TRUHAN, COLTS NECK
In just her second season since returning to her alma mater after a successful head coaching stint at Holmdel, Karpell led a team led by junior Katelyn Linney with four freshmen playing a prominent role to the NJSIAA Non-Public A title and the semifinals of the Tournament of Champions. The Lancers went 26-5 and also won the Class A Central non-public title and reached the Shore Conference Tournament semifinals.
Truhan helped the sophomore-laden Cougars obliterate the school record book by winning their first Shore Conference Tournament title and their first Class A North title. Colts Neck became the first public school since Neptune in 1989 to win the SCT and finished the season with a school record for wins (28), winning percentage (.933) and longest winning streak (26 games). Their only losses were a regular-season setback to Howell and a loss in the Central Jersey Group IV final to eventual T of C runner-up Trenton. Truhan has a career record of 193-67 in 10 seasons combined, five at Colts Neck and five at Toms River South. Truhan was also selected by his fellow Shore Conference coaches as the Coach of the Year.
FIRST TEAM
KRISTINA DANELLA, SR., F, RED BANK CATHOLIC
KATELYN LINNEY, JR., G, ST. JOHN VIANNEY
LAUREN CLARKE, SO., G, COLTS NECK
KATE MILLER, JR., G/F, RUMSON-FH
BROOKE HAMPTON, SO., G, COLTS NECK
SECOND TEAM
SHANNON MAYROSE, JR., F, FREEHOLD
A double-double machine for the Class B North champs, her signature game was a 34-point effort in a regular-season win over Neptune. She crossed the 1,000-point mark for her career this season.
AMANDA MALKIEWICZ, SR., G, LACEY
She became the Lions’ all-time leading scorer and just one of two girls to pass the 1,000-point mark in school history while also leading the Lions to their first division title since 1994-95.
ALEXA RYAN, JR., G, RARITAN
Ryan was the leading scorer on the Central Jersey Group II finalists and one of the top 3-point shooters in the conference.
SYESSENCE DAVIS, FR., G, NEPTUNE
Davis led the Scarlet Fliers in scoring and helped them win their first state sectional title since 1990.
CANDICE GREEN, SR., G, RUMSON-FH
Green hit 29 3-pointers and averaged 5.6 assists per game as the Bulldogs won their ninth straight state sectional title and advanced to the Group II final.
THIRD TEAM
KELLY CLARK, SR., C, ST. ROSE
The top center in the Shore, Clark led St. Rose to the Class B Central title.
DENISE CRUDUP, SR., G, HOWELL
One of the top all-around point guards in the Shore, Crudup helped the Rebels win a share of the Class A North title.
DEANNA MENDELSON, SR., G, RED BANK
A two-time, third-team selection, Mendelson finished her career with 1,350 points after averaging just under 17 ppg this season for the Bucs. She also led the Shore in steals.
SHAKENA RICHARDSON, FR., G, NEPTUNE
One of the Shore’s top point guards already, she formed a potent tandem with Syessence Davis that resulted in Neptune’s first state sectional title since 1990.
KRISTEN SHARKEY, SO., C, SOUTHERN
Recorded a 44-point game against Brick Memorial, the highest total on the boys or girls side in the Shore this season, and helped the Rams rally to qualify for the Shore Conference and state tournaments.
Honorable mention:
Samantha Savona, Jr., G, Jackson Liberty
Danielle Pankey, Jr., F, Middletown South
Missy Repoli, Fr., F, St. John Vianney
Loreta Tonuzi, Jr., G, Raritan
Stephanie Mayfield, Sr., G, Lacey
Danielle Thomas, Sr., G, Toms River East
Sehmonyeh Allen, So., G, Freehold
Tia Curtis, Sr., F, Monmouth
Gina Samples, Jr., F, Ocean
Meghan Reilly, Jr., F, Marlboro
Tiffany DeTulio, So., G, Colts Neck
Camille Valmon, Jr., G, Manchester
Becky Metzger, Jr., G, Point Boro
DIVISIONAL PLAYERS/COACHES OF THE YEAR
Class A North – Lauren Clarke, Colts Neck
Coach: John Truhan, Colts Neck
Class A Central – Kristina Danella, Red Bank Catholic
Coach: Dawn Karpell, St. John Vianney
Class A South – Amanda Malkiewicz, Lacey
Coach: Patty Cooke, Lacey
Class B North – Shannon Mayrose, Freehold
Coach: John Brown, Neptune
Class B Central – Kelly Clark, St. Rose
Coach: (tie) Kevin Flynn, Keyport; Michael Scarano, Keansburg
Class B South – Camille Valmon, Manchester
Coach: Sean Henry, Point Boro
FINAL TOP 10
1. St. John Vianney: I agonized back and forth between the Lancers and Colts Neck, and it’s funny because if you look at it from a state-wide perspective, you have to say St. John Vianney because they were among the last four teams standing in the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions. However, you can make an argument for Colts Neck because the Cougars won the Shore Conference Tournament and lost in the Central Jersey Group IV final to evenual T of C runner-up Trenton, who would’ve ended just about anyone’s season and had already beaten St. John Vianney. However, the Lancers won the Non-Public A title by beating previously undefeated Morris Catholic and picked up an upset win over Trenton Catholic, which beat Trenton this season, in the T of C quarterfinals. The Lancers also won the Class A Central non-public title in the state’s hardest division.
2. Colts Neck: The Cougars went 28-2 and had a 26-game winning streak, both of which are school records. They won their first SCT and Class A North titles and became the first public school to win the SCT since 1989. With standouts Brooke Hampton and Lauren Clarke along with a host of others in the fold for two more years, this team’s potential is unlimited.
3. Rumson-FH: The Bulldogs won their ninth straight sectional championship by beating Raritan for the second time during the season. They reached their fifth straight Group II final before falling to Pascack Valley. They also had a pair of wins over Red Bank Catholic, and wins over Christ the King (N.Y.), Howell and Freehold. The Bulldogs return star Kate Miller, sharpshooters Ashley Cooper and Julie Kelly, and point guard Ellie Wilbur, while having to deal with the graduation of Candice Green, Kara Abbot and Gabbie DePalo.
4. Red Bank Catholic: Despite losing three starters to season-ending knee injuries within the first month, the Caseys persevered behind DigitalSports Player of the Year Kristina Danella. They reached the SCT final by upsetting top-seeded St. John Vianney, and then lost to the Lancers in the Non-Public South A final. They bring most of their team back, but will have a gaping void to fill in Danella’s absence.
5. Raritan: The Rockets reached the Central Jersey Group II final before falling to nemesis Rumson, whom they defeated for the first time in recent memory during the regular season. They also reached the SCT quarterfinals before losing to eventual champion Colts Neck. They return their top two players, Alexa Ryan and Loreta Tonuzi, so they should be back in the hunt next season.
6. Freehold: The Colonials’ season ended in disappointing fashion in a last-second loss to Neptune in the Central Jersey Group III final, but they return almost everyone for another run next season. They won the Class B North title and beat the Neptune in three out of four meetings, including in the SCT. They reached the SCT quarterfinals before losing to No. 1 St. John Vianney. In a weird way, their own loss to Neptune in the CJ III final made them look better, because now they had three wins against a sectional champion. I have to admit, that’s a little bizarre. They also had a regular-season win over Howell.
7. Neptune: The Scarlet Fliers were a
little under the radar before stunning Red Bank Catholic in a
regular-season game and then making a run to their first state sectional title since 1990 when they upended Freehold for the Central Jersey Group III championship. With Shakena Richardson, Marley Mauvais and Syessence Davis back along with some other contributors, the sky is the limit for this team.
8. Howell: The Rebels nearly stunned
eventual T of C runner-up Trenton in losing in overtime in the Central
Jersey Group IV semifinals. That would’ve obliterated the rankings. The
Rebels handed Colts Neck one of its only two losses and shared the
Class A North title. I feel like I might be lowballing them a little bit here, but they did lose to Raritan and Freehold. I liked this team. They reached the SCT quarterfinals before falling
to No. 3 Rumson in overtime.
9. St. Rose: The Class B Central
champions had two big nonconference wins against teams that had strong
state tournaments, but the Purple Roses couldn’t seem to get over the
hump against local competition, losing to RBC in the SCT quarterfinals and dropping several regular-season games against ranked teams.
They reached the Non-Public South B semifinals before running into
eventual champion Trenton Catholic.
10. Lacey: The Lions won their first Class A South title since 1994-95 and were Ocean County’s best team. Graduation will hit them hard in losing all-time leading scorer Amanda Malkiewicz and her sister Tara as well as guard Stephanie Mayfield.
E-mail: stump@digitalsports.com
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