Destiny decided: How Marlboro won its first boys basketball SCT title

TOMS RIVER – The Marlboro boys basketball team didn’t forget the championship game moments from the previous two seasons.

There was losing the Shore Conference Pod A championship to Manasquan with 1.4 seconds left last season.

There was falling to South Brunswick at the buzzer in the NJSIAA Central Group 4 title game two seasons ago.

So, naturally the Mustangs wanted to change their recent postseason history and they got their wish Sunday in the Shore Conference Tournament Final.

Seidler surges to MVP status

Senior forward Jack Seidler sprung into action after having only one point in the first quarter and finished with a game-high 22 points as Marlboro rallied for a 63-46 win over Manasquan at the RWJ Barnabas Health Arena.

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“It stung (those two losses) but we were definitely the more experienced team (this season). All five of us we have been here in this moment before,” said Seidler, who was selected as the most valuable player of the game. “And every single time we talked, we thought about the last two years and how we felt after those games. We didn’t want to feel like that again.”

So, Seidler took over the final three quarters to control his team’s destiny.

The game-changing run

Manasquan (21-4) jumped out to a 14-10 lead after the first quarter as senior forward Matt Solomon sparked the early run with four of his seven points in that time frame.

But the lead didn’t last long. Seidler generated 11 of Marlboro’s 19 second-quarter points to give the Mustangs a 29-24 halftime lead.

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That’s when Marlboro coach Michael Nausedas knew what his team was capable of in the second half.

“The difference was that when our guys get up on people, we’re not giving up that lead no mater what we had to do,” said Nausedas, who career record went to 148-93 and now includes the first boys basketball SCT title in school history.

The lead grew to 40-33 after the third quarter as senior guard Zack Molod had five of his 14 points during that stretch. Overall, Molod had 10 points in the second half and hit a big three-pointer in the fourth quarter to give the Mustangs (23-2) some breathing room.

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“This season has been eventful, fun, exciting. Every game matters. We are at the top, so we are going to get everyone’s best game,” Molod said. “Manasquan is the best coach team I’ve ever played against in my whole life. A shoutout to them. It is hard to play them every time.”

Manasquan freshman has spotlight moments

Manasquan freshman guard Darius Adams tallied eight of his team-high 14 points in the second half and he made one big shot after another to keep Manasquan in the game. Ryan Frauenheim added eight points, Griffin Linstra tallied five of his eight points in the first half and Alex Konov finished with six points on two three-pointers.

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Meanwhile, Marlboro’s starting five carried the offensive load with Seidler leading the way and senior guard Jonathan Spatola (16 points) and senior forward Jay Ratner (nine points) adding solid contributions. Vincent Spatola added two points and when Molod went to the bench with three fouls, Alexander Schwartz provided valuable minutes off the bench.

Marlboro made clutch free throws under pressure

Marlboro started the fourth quarter on a 9-3 run to have a 49-36 lead with five minutes left. The objective from that point on was to whittle as many precious seconds off the clock as possible. And when the Mustangs were fouled in the fourth quarter, they made Manasquan pay by sinking 15-for-18 free throws in the final quarter.

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“All five of us trust each other. We know we each other is capable of and we kind of just went with the flow,” Seidler said. “We knew we had to waste some time off the clock and we didn’t want to force anything. So that’s exactly what we did.”

And that execution in clutch moments is what secured the school’s first boys basketball SCT title in the school’s second appearance in the SCT Final.

Shore Conference Tournament Final History

2021: Tournament canceled due to COVID-19

2020: Manasquan 74, Toms River North 49

2019: Ranney School 70, Manasquan 60

2018: Ranney School 52, Mater Dei Prep 28

2017: Mater Dei Prep 54, Marlboro 41

2016: Mater Dei Prep 50, CBA 43

2015: Rumson-Fair Haven 50, CBA 24

2014: Point Beach 49, CBA 41

2013: Lakewood 39, Point Beach 33

2012: Neptune 37, Colts Neck 33

2011: Raritan 43, Rumson-Fair Haven 35

2010: CBA 60, Middletown South 44

2009: CBA 58, Neptune 49

2008: Neptune 67, Monsignor Donovan 52

2007: Freehold Township 55, CBA 49

2006: CBA 65 Monsignor Donovan 56

2005: CBA 57 Manasquan 41

2004: Raritan 60 Neptune 58

2003: CBA 44 Raritan 30

2002: Neptune 57 CBA 47

2001: CBA 56 Neptune 39

2000: CBA 60 Neptune 38

1999: Red Bank 44 CBA 43

1998: Neptune 55 Red Bank 48 (OT)

1997: Long Branch 44 CBA 42

1996: CBA 64 Toms River North 58

1995: CBA 58 Lakewood 57

1994: CBA 51 Long Branch 38

1993: CBA 60 Red Bank 52

1992: Red Bank 60 CBA 54

1991: Lakewood 86 Lacey 67

1990: CBA 42 Neptune 30

1989: Lakewood 79 Neptune 77 (OT)

1988: CBA 57 Lakewood 55

1987: CBA 58 Asbury Park 55

1986: Asbury Park 61 Lakewood 60

1985: CBA 70 Asbury Park 63

1984: CBA 58 Mater Dei 51

1983: Red Bank 61 CBA 58

1982: Toms River South 83 Neptune 80

1981: Neptune 59 Long Branch 28

1980: Neptune 72 Manasquan 45

1979: Middletown South 73 Red Bank 68

1978: Asbury Park 41 Long Branch 37

1977: Long Branch 65 Lakewood 49

1976: Neptune 59 Long Branch 54

1975: Lakewood 55 Neptune 45

1974: Lakewood 65 Wall 60

1973: Ocean 71 Neptune 63

1972: Neptune 80 Manasquan 66

1971: Ocean 65 Henry Hudson 56

1970: Long Branch 88 Neptune 67

1969: Henry Hudson 56 Long Branch 53

1968: Lakewood 61 Ocean 55

1967: Neptune 48 Lakewood 45

1966: Neptune 61 Lakewood 44

1965: Neptune 63 Lakewood 56

1964: Neptune 59 Matawan 53

1963: Neptune 66 Point Pleasant Beach 54

1962: Neptune 82 Keyport 58

1961: Neptune 69 Keyport 60

1960: Matawan 62 Manasquan 59

1959: Red Bank 68 Matawan 47

1958: Lakewood 59 Atlantic Highlands 57

1957: Manasquan 79 Red Bank 56

1956: Red Bank 55 Lakewood 51

1955: (Class A) Manasquan 76 Neptune 65

(Class B) Matawan 70 Point Pleasant Beach 56

1954: (Class A) Neptune 73 Manasquan 52

(Class B) Atlantic Highlands 62 Hoffman 59

1953: (Group II) Red Bank 60 Neptune 55

(Group I) Hoffman 53 Atlantic Highlands 41

1952: (Group II) Neptune 60 Manasquan 39

(Group I) Hoffman 56 Atlantic Highlands 53 (OT)

1951: Neptune 61 Hoffman 52

1950: Red Bank 56 Neptune 52

1949: Neptune 71 Atlantic Highlands 45

1948: Manasquan 58 Freehold 48

1947: Manasquan 57 Point Pleasant Beach 25

1946: Red Bank 34 Manasquan 27

1945: Manasquan 31 Red Bank 26

1944: Lakewood 40 Toms River 36

1943: Neptune 32 Manasquan 25

1942: Neptune 42 Manasquan 40

1941: Manasquan 35 Neptune 32 (OT)

1940: Hoffman 33 Manasquan 31

1939: Neptune 41 Manasquan 38

1938: Atlantic Highlands 28 Neptune 22

1937: Keyport 31 Atlantic Highlands 22

Sherlon Christie is a sports reporter at the Asbury Park Press and has covered sports at the Jersey Shore since 2004. Don't miss any of his coverage by subscribing at https://subscribe.app.com. You can contact him via e-mail at schristie@gannettnj.com, on Twitter at https://twitter.com/sherlonapp, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/sherlonapp and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/sherlon_christie

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Marlboro NJ wins first boys basketball Shore Conference Tournament title