REPEAT Shabazz tops Manasquan for second straight TOC crown
TRENTON — They start each season with one goal in mind: win the Tournament of Champions.
Monday night they accomplished that goal for the second year in a row, and the sixth time in school history.
Vanessa Watson’s girls from Shabazz High in Newark did what only one other school in NJSIAA history ever did as they pulled away at the end of the first half and the start of the second to secure a 69-55 win over Manasquan in front of a crowd of 3,531 at Sun National Bank Arena.
The win kept 33-1 Shabazz unbeaten against New Jersey for the second consecutive season and earned the state’s No. 1 ranked team and top seed in the TofC the win that matched the six Tournament of Champions titles won by St. John Vianney.
Only the Shabazz teams of 2003 and ’04 had ever won back-to-back TofC titles.
With Georgia Tech-bound Zyaire O’Neil scoring 28 points on 13-for-19 shooting and grabbing 11 rebounds, a more balanced Shabazz offense offset the 30 points Marina Mabrey scored for Manasquan as she tried to earn her second TofC title in three seasons.
“A lot of teams win state championships, but to win back-to-back TofC titles that’s amazing. Now we don’t have to hear from the girls on the ’ 03 and ’ 04 teams because we did what they did,” smiled O’Neil. “We’re in the same boat with them now, and it feels great.”
Shabazz traded leads with Manasquan (27-6) twice in the first half, but with three minutes to go before the break put together a 7-0 run to go up, 27-22. It got the double-digit lead it would never relinquish with a 10-2 run over three minutes of the third quarter with O’Neil scoring half of them.
“Coach told us at halftime we had to play a lot harder and start bullying them and playing strong because we were letting them hang around,” said DeAshia Jones, who would finish with 15 points and 11 rebounds (10 defensive).
Doniyah Cliney gave Shabazz a third player in doubles as she scored 13, added added seven assists and eight boards as Shabazz outrebounded ‘ Squan, 42-29, and forced 13 turnovers.
“Getting the momentum back at the end of the second, then building on it in the third quarter as huge for us,” said Jones. “That run before halftime was kind of a statement for us that we were not going to be denied. I kept going for every rebound I could get. ”
Manasquan tried to go man-to-man with Mabrey on O’Neil, but quickly had to abort that defense.
“Any team that ever tried to play us man we went straight to the basket on them and got and-ones. It takes away their confidence when that keeps happening,” said O’Neil. “We knew there was no way they were going to keep up with us playing man.”
“All I ever tried to with this group,” Watson said, “was tell them how hard they had to keep working if they wanted to achieve their goals because so many other teams work hard, but it’s the team working hard the longest that gets here.
“Back in 2003 and 2004 I never thought I would do it again. It’s always about wanting to tackle the challenge and never give up until you’ve accomplished it. That’s what these girls did, and why they will always be a special team.”
An extra special team in New Jersey high school girls hoops.