THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Middletown High School South Athletics

Kayla Richardson scored a game-high 23 points, all in the second half and overtime, and top-seeded Middletown South overcame an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat second-seeded Marlboro, 80-77, and give coach Tom Brennan with his 400th career victory in the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group 4 championship game Tuesday in Middletown. In a battle of the Shore Conference divisional rivals, Marlboro (23-8) came into the game having won two of three meetings with Middletown South (24-5) this season. But the Eagles are strong at home, now having a record of 18-2 on their hardwood, and had the fans behind them to help push them over the top. Middletown South lost Isla Brennan, who finished with 15 points, to fouls with 36 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, when Marlboro hit one of two free throws to take a 64-62 lead. Richardson answered with two free throws to tie it, then blocked a shot to give the Eagles a chance to win the game, tied at 64. Stephanie Mayerhofer took the next shot for Middletown South but could not convert on a 3-point attempt. An offensive rebound gave the Eagles another chance in the waning seconds, but they could not get a jumper at the foul line to fall. In overtime, the Eagles outscored the Mustangs 16-13, with Richardson contributing 10 points to lead the way. “I just knew I needed to take over when (Brennan) fouled out,” said Richardson who connected on nine of 11 free throws overall in the game. “I knew I needed to take a second and make those foul shots and do whatever I could to get the dub.” It was a monumental "W" for the coach in more ways than one. “It means I’ve been here a long time and I’ve really had a lot of good players that I owe every one of those victories to,” said coach Brennan, whose program won its fourth title in the past six years. It had not won the past two seasons after a three-year streak from 2014-16. Middletown South advances to face Lenape, No. 16 in the NJ.com Top 20, which won the South Jersey, Group 4 title on Wednesday with a 41-30 victory over No. 7 Cherokee. The Group 4 semifinal is Thursday at 7 p.m. at Central Regional in Bayville. The winner advances to the group finals on Sunday at Rutgers. Middletown South opened up the game hot, despite Marlboro having the full-court press on from the opening whistle. Marlboro could not connect on its many 3-point attempts in the first quarter, and Samantha Keenan's quick seven points put Middletown South up, 17-8. The Mustangs were able to take the lead after opening up the second quarter on a 20-2 run, backed by a 3-pointer apiece from four different players. Following the run, Marlboro took a 28-19 lead with just over 4:30 to play in the half. A 7-0 answer by Middletown South closed the gap, but the Mustangs held onto a 34-29 lead going into the second half. Marlboro’s full-court pressure led to multiple points off turnovers, as the Mustangs took a 41-33 lead earlier in the third quarter. But Marlboro got into foul trouble and had six team fouls with just under three minutes left in the third to put the Eagles on the free throw line. At the end of the third quarter, Marlboro maintained the lead at 53-42. After Jessica Riepe hit a 3-pointer to open up the final frame for Marlboro, Middletown South went on a 6-0 run to cut the lead to eight. Following a timeout called by Marlboro coach Brad Hagensen, Isla Brennan went down with an injury to her shooting wrist. While Brennan missed two free throws following the injury, she stayed in the game. With just under six minutes to go in the game, Marlboro drew its 10th foul, which put the Eagles on the line for two free throws for any foul for the remainder of the game. While Middletown South had success at the foul line, connecting on 21 of 31, Marlboro only made five of 19, with 10 misses coming in the fourth quarter and overtime. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Keenan put the Eagles within three with 1:45 left in the game. Richardson hit a two-point shot to make it a one-point game, then followed with her tying free throws and critical block to eventually force overtime. All five of Middletown South’s starters scored in double digits, with Kennan tallying 20 with four 3-pointers and Eve Pirie and Mayerhofer each adding 10 points. For Marlboro, Riepe led the way with 16 points and four 3-pointers, while Laura Morehead had 15 points off five 3-pointers. Jay added 14 points, while Gisella Romeo had 13 and Danielle Schlesinger chipped in 11. As a team, the Mustangs connected on 18 3-pointers, with seven players hitting at least one.

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Middletown High School South Athletics

NEWS

TITLE AND MILESTONE FOR MIDDLETOWN SOUTH IN CENTRAL, GROUP 4 FINAL