Manchester's Historic Girls Basketball Season Comes To An End

TOMS RIVER, NJ — It was not the ending they wanted. Not by a long shot. But the consensus among the fans was simple: It was an amazing run.

The Manchester Township High School girls basketball team battled for every loose ball, every rebound and every point against a talented Saddle River Day team on Thursday night at the RWJ Barnabas Health Arena. But the Colonial Rebels (28-2) gave the Hawks all they could handle and more and came away with a 76-63 victory in the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions semifinal.

It is the furthest any team from Manchester has advanced in any sport at the high school except bowling, and the Hawks (32-3) brought home some serious hardware: the Shore Conference Tournament championship trophy, the South Jersey Group II trophy, and the Group II trophy, all firsts for the program.

Manchester also was the first Ocean County team since Point Pleasant Beach in 2013 and just the third overall to get to the basketball Tournament of Champions. Only Toms River North reached the TOC final; in 2000 the Mariners faced Red Bank Catholic in an all-Shore Conference final, with the Caseys coming away with the title that year.

"It's bittersweet," said Dennis Adams, the principal of Manchester Township High School whose daughters, Dakota and Destiny, have been key pieces of the Hawks' historic run. For Dakota, a senior, the TOC run closes another chapter on her high school career. For Destiny, a sophomore, there's possibilities and goals for the two remaining years of high school.

"As the principal, it has been amazing to see how (the team) brought the community together," Adams said. "As a parent, I'm happy they had this experience."

Saddle River Day was one of two teams to beat Manchester in the regular season, and the Hawks had hope for some redemption. But Manchester fell behind early, trailing by 10 points with less than 3 minutes left in the first quarter. But Destiny Adams (14 points) and Leilani Correa (17 points) each scored a couple of baskets to pull within 4 points by the end of the first quarter.

Manchester drew to within 2 points in the second quarter on a Destiny Adams basket on a wild scramble under the basket that left bodies on the floor and was typical of much of the game. But each time Manchester closed the gap, the Rebels would push back and open it up again.

"They hit big baskets when they needed to," Dennis Adams noted as he waited for his daughters and his school's players to emerge from the lockerroom after the game. "Saddle River Day played a great game."

The Rebels not only hit big baskets, they got themselves second and third chances off missed shots — something the Hawks had not allowed much of in their previous games. Saddle River Day finished with 26 offensive rebounds and 51 total, according to the Prime Events boxscore. The Hawks, meanwhile, finished with 32 rebounds and none of the players were in double figures.

Saddle River Day also benefited from Destiny Adams winding up in foul trouble. She sat the bench for nearly 8-1/2 minutes, going out for the last 3 minutes of the third quarter and sitting for nearly half of the fourth before coming back. Conscious of the four fouls, she was tentative when she returned as she tried to stay in the game to help her team. Michelle Sidor (20 points), Jaida Patrick (24 points) and Sydnei Caldwell (13 points) took the game to Destiny Adams repeatedly to draw fouls on her.

Correa, meanwhile, struggled with a tight man-to-man defense and shots that just wouldn't fall. In the fourth quarter, she shook her head as one of those shots hit the rim just enough to deflect it away. It was symbolic of a night where the shots just wouldn't fall when Manchester needed them most.

That was true as the Hawks made a final run at Saddle River Day. With Destiny Adams on the bench, Nahkaleigh Hayes-Jones hit a 3-pointer, and Serenity Anderson (5 points), Correa and Kemari Reynolds (13 points) all hit baskets. Dakota Adams (11 points) hit a jumper in the 11-2 run that made it 60-54. With the Manchester fans roaring their support, the Hawks put up a 3-pointer that had it fallen would have brought the house down. But it bounced off the rim, the Rebels collected the rebound and themselves and put Manchester away.

As the fans filtered out, the mood was upbeat, with repeated comments about what a great season Manchester has had.

"I'm very proud of what they accomplished," Dennis Adams said. And the Hawks should be proud of themselves, too.

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