Basketball at Middletown South is back.
After two long rebuilding years, the Boys’ Basketball team pieced together a very successful season. The boys made both the State and Shore Conference tournaments for the first time since 2010, bringing playoff basketball back to a program which had come to dominate it in previous seasons. Behind a strong senior class, the Eagles won 12 games, made the final of the Anthony J. Cotoia holiday tournament, and were even mentioned on the bubble of the Shore Conference’s Top Ten after a three-win week. The boys even took Southern and Lawrence down to the wire in their playoff games, taking leads into the 4th quarter before falling to the higher-seeded teams in the first round of both tournaments.
Good teams are built on good veteran leadership, and this season was no exception. The class of 2013 consisted of six players, the largest graduating class in three years. Seasoned at a young age, four of the seniors were three-year letter winners. Behind Senior captains Tom DiMeo, Matt Mauro, and Sam Brodsky, six-foot-five Senior center Mike Diorio, and Junior swingman John Whalen, this year’s starting lineup consisted of a cast of players with great chemistry and experience. When three-year starter Sam Brodsky fell with an ankle injury late in December, Junior guard Matt Gray was thrust into the starting lineup and played huge minutes for the Eagles. Diorio and DiMeo were both in double-digit scorers on the season, DiMeo and Whalen were amongst the tops in the Shore Conference in three-pointers made, and Diorio made the all-tournament team at the Anthony J. Cotoia tournament. Next year, Coach Cullen will rely heavily on Juniors John Whalen and Matt Gray, along with breakout Sophomore Dan Roibal.
Just across the hall, Coach Brennan and the Lady Eagles continued to soar to new heights. Girls’ Basketball finished with a record of 22-4 and went undefeated in their division, winning Class A-North behind the leadership of an extremely talented senior class. Seniors Carissa Gray, Kiera Gannon, Jackie Dluhi, and Lauren Van Exter have each seen Varsity time since their sophomore seasons and are all four-year letter winners. They’ve been the foundation of Midd South’s Girls’ Basketball program for the past 4 years, and it certainly showed on the court this past season.
“We have been playing together since 4th grade,” Gray noted. “Our chemistry and success stems from that commitment and love we always had for one another as teammates and as friends.”
Equally impressive was Freshman sensation Stephanie Karcz. The rookie broke into Coach Brennan’s starting lineup early in the season and didn’t look back, averaging double figures in scoring on the season and showing a knack for making big shots in big games. Brennan will look to Karcz to lead a young Lady Eagles team next season.
Consistency was their staple. Beginning the season ranked in the Shore Conference’s top ten, the Lady Eagles remained there all year before receiving the 4th seed in the Shore Conference Tournament. After a big overtime win over rival Rumson Fair-Haven in the quarter-finals, the Eagles fell in the semi-finals to #1 seed RBC, the tournament’s eventual champion.
Seeded 1st in the Central Jersey Group III State Tournament, the Lady Eagles were determined to win it all and avenge their SCT loss. With the home court advantage, South easily advanced to the semi-finals for the program’s ninth consecutive season where they would face 4th seeded perennial powerhouse Neptune. Freshman guard Stephanie Karcz led all scorers with 17 points while Jackie Dluhi added 12, but the effort was in vain, as the Lady Eagles fell to the Scarlet Fliers and their season concluded.
Only Jackie Dluhi will be continuing her basketball career in college. The Division One recruit will be taking her talents to Wagner University on a basketball scholarship.
“It went by so fast and it feels surreal for it to end,” Gray said.
“But the journey was definitely an unforgettable one.”
Congratulations to both basketball programs and good luck to Coach Cullen and Coach Brennan next season.