'Almost a tradition': Manasquan girls basketball to play for 8th straight sectional title
MANASQUAN – Sustained success for a public high school in the state tournament is rare. That’s what makes Manasquan special.
Players have come and gone – some to the highest levels of women’s basketball – but the winning remains the same. Friday night was no exception.
Relying on yet another stellar defensive effort, No. 1 Manasquan grinded out a 45-41 victory against No. 4 Holmdel to advance to the Central Group 2 final.
“It’s almost a tradition here at Manasquan that you win a state sectional,” Manasquan senior Brook Hollawell said. “We’re going to continue to carry that on, and they’re going to do this years after us.”
What's at stake
Manasquan (27-4) will play for its eighth straight sectional title on Tuesday after winning every year from 2014-20 (the state tournament was not held in 2021). They’ll play second-seeded New Providence in the title game.
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“That has everything to do with the girls in the program,” Manasquan head coach Lisa Kukoda said. “There’s a lot of pressure on them each season to fulfill that. For us, we try to keep them focused game by game.”
Redemption for Brook Hollawell
Hollawell had one of her best games of the season, finishing with a game-high 17 points. The Dartmouth commit scored six points to start the third quarter to push the Manasquan lead to 27-19. Her third bucket was also her 1,000th point as she became the 16th player in program history to reach the milestone.
She also hit a huge three-pointer in the fourth quarter to help stifle a Holmdel rally, and her late-game free throws iced the game.
This all comes about one year after tearing her ACL at the end of last season. She had a slow start to the year, missing shots she normally makes, but Hollawell came in clutch Friday.
“I have a lot of confidence in myself now,” Hollawell said. “I think we’re going to do amazing things.”
Hollawell is hitting her stride at the perfect time. She scored a season-high 19 points in the quarterfinals against Johnson and is averaging 17 points over her last three games.
“We have come to grow accustomed to Brooke coming up big in big games in the postseason, and she was great today,” Kukoda said. “She’s pretty straight-faced on the court and not fazed by a whole lot, and I think that helped her come back from her injury. She was all business about her rehab, strength and training.”
Kukoda vs. Kukoda part 2
The game was also the second time this season husband and wife faced off with Matt Kukoda still filling in as Holmdel’s head coach. While the previous match up – a thrilling 61-58 barnburner in the Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinals – was very emotional, the second go around felt more like business as usual.
“At least we had one under our belts,” Lisa said. “It was much more strategic this time around as opposed to emotional.”
An unexpected journey
The loss marked the end of the road for Matt Kukoda as Holmdel interim head coach. After unexpectedly taking over in January, Kukoda led the Hornets on a successful run.
“I wouldn’t have been upset if they packed it in, I would have understood, but knowing these girls, that thought never crossed their minds for one second,” Kukoda said. “It says a whole lot about them and their families and their dedication to each other.”
Despite the upheaval in the middle of the season, Holmdel flourished as one of the top teams in the Shore Conference. And for Kukoda, it was a rewarding experience that he never would have imagined embarking on at the beginning of the year.
“It was really special,” Kukoda said. “When duty calls, I hope the Holmdel community knows I’ll always step up for them.”
Danny LoGiudice has covered local sports across New Jersey since 2014. Contact him at dlogiudice@gannettnj.com or @danny_logiudice on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Shore Conference NJ girls basketball: Manasquan advances to Group 2 final
