Mabrey's Epic Game Powers Manasquan To SCT Championship

Photos by Tom Smith: #10 Dara Mabrey, #13 Faith Masonius and #2 Lola Mullaney

WEST LONG BRANCH – As a freshman Dara Mabrey came off the bench to help Manasquan win its fourth Shore Conference Tournament title in program history as she watched her older sister Marina, now staring for Notre Dame, pour in a game-high 29 points.

Three years later Mabrey took center stage and put on a performance for the ages as she sliced-and-diced her way to a game-high 33 points, five points shy of her career high, helping second-seeded Manasquan upset top-seeded Saint John Vianney 70-52 Saturday night to capture the Shore Conference Tournament championship at the sold out Ocean First Bank Center.

Throughout her career, the 5-foot-7 Mabrey, the games MVP, has had some big shoes to fill and has had to endure constant comparisons to 5-foot-11 Marina, the 2014-15 New Jersey girls basketball Gatorade Player of the Year, and older sister Michaela, who was a two-year starter and captain her senior year at Notre Dame.

“Winning like this after so many people said that I couldn’t or that I wasn’t as good as my sisters makes it sweet,” said Mabrey of the comparisons. I’m calling Marina right when I’m done (interviewing) and telling her, ‘guess what, I won too.’”

Michaela reached the Shore Conference Tournament final twice, once as a freshman at SJV and then her senior year at Manasquan but both resulted in losses while Marina, after losing her freshman year with Michaela, won the title in both her junior and senior years, so with Saturday’s win Dara equaled Marina’s two SCT championships and three final appearances.

Manasquan lost to Franklin in last season's Tournament of Champions final, 50-48, on a last second shot at the buzzer.

“When we won this as a freshman I looked at my sister, Marina, and thought ‘I’m so happy, so I just can’t even imagine how you’re feeling right now,’” Marina said. “At the end of tonights game, I was so emotional and I ran over to hug coach (Lisa) Kukoda.”

Mabrey was virtually unstoppable from the get-go leading the Warriors to a 18-12 first-quarter lead. She hit the first basket of the game before scoring the final eight points of the quarter for Manasquan including two three’s and went 4-for-4 from the field.

Junior forward and University of Maryland commit Faith Masonius, whose 21 points and game-high 14 rebounds were overshadowed by Mabrey’s masterpiece, opened the second quarter with two baskets before Mabrey scored the Warriors final nine points sending them into halftime with a 31-25 lead.

The Virginia Tech commit was 7-of-11 from the field including 2-of-3 from beyond the three-point arch and 3-of-4 from the free throw line for 19 first-half points.

“She made it a goal of hers, she made it a goal of our team,” Kukoda said. “She made sure everyone was on board with what needed to be done to achieve this goal. She’s a gamer and these are the moments that she loves, embraces and steps up in. There are some people that can shy away from the spotlight, she wouldn’t want this any other way.”

The Lancers eventually turned to 6-foot-0 junior forward Brelynn Bellamy to cover Mabrey and try to slow her down in the second half but that plan failed too.

On the first play of the second half Mabrey beat Bellamy off the dribble and slashed to the bucket for two points and Warriors were off and running in the second half.

“I knew they were going to do that,” said Mabrey of Bellamy guarding her. “I knew who they were going to put on me and when they were going to do it. Every time someone face guards me, I’m going to make them work, whether it’s me scoring or getting to the paint. It’s a tough job and I give them a lot of credit, they did fight hard. I was not backing down. After my first half and our lead, there was no way I was taking my foot off the gas.”

Manasquan (24-2) pushed its lead over the Lancers (24-2) to 15 points, 49-34, after three quarters as Marbrey and Masonius combined to score 13 of the Warriors 18 third quarter points. Junior Lola Mullaney, who finished with 12 points, three boards, an assist, blocked shot and steal, added five points in the third quarter including a three-pointer.

With Bellamy now forced out of the paint to cover Mabrey, Masonius took advantage of her size and began to dominate underneath with 10 of her 14 rebounds and 15 of her 21 points coming in the second half.

“Faith was huge and she takes pressure off me,” said Mabrey. “We use her as a post or forward but she can handle the ball. So in the second half when they went to a face guard on me, Faith came alive. She was drawing fouls a lot, doing the right thing against the press, so if you have another player who can do that and not just a point guard it’s huge. You’re dead in the water if you have a post breaking your press.”

Masonius scored 10 straight points for Manasquan in a span of two and half minutes in the fourth quarter including going a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line expanding the Warriors lead to 66-49 with 1:42 remaining in the game.

Mabrey added her 32nd and 33rd points from the foul line and Mullaney finished off the Lancers with a bucket in the final seconds for the 70-52 final.

Saint John Vianney beat the Warriors in the 2016 SCT final and the Tournament of Champions title game so that made Saturday night’s win all that more satisfying.

“The win meant everything to me, we just beat Saint John Vianney by 18 points,” an ecstatic Mabrey said. “No one thought we were going to do it; every media outlet said that we were going to lose. And I love people to doubt me and doubt my team because every time someone says we can’t do something we prove them wrong.”

Madison Doring finished with a team-high 17 points and Sajada Bonner added 15 points for Saint John Vianney.

When asked how long she’ll enjoy the win before focusing on the state tournament Mabrey didn’t hesitate when she said, “It’s back to work tomorrow.”

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