Manasquan Warriors named to the 13th Annual MaxPreps Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard

MaxPreps is pleased to announce that the Manasquan (N.J.) Warriors have officially been named to the 13th Annual MaxPreps Basketball Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard, which is in its 12th year honoring girls basketball.

This is one of the most prestigious team awards in all of high school sports and it is an exclusive honor reserved for 100 of the top teams nationwide. In order to be eligible, a team must win a state championship and be highly ranked in the MaxPreps National Rankings. For basketball, only 20 of the country's best are invited and with nearly 40,000 competing varsity teams, this puts the Warriors ahead of 99.9 percent of their opponents!

In order to be eligible, the team not only had to be nationally ranked, but also had to win a state championship. Beating Franklin 72-60 on Sunday, Mar. 18 in the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions state championship contest marked the completion of an incredible 32-2 season — and earned Manasquan an invitation to the Tour of Champions.

Franklin rallied from one 11-0 Manasquan run, but couldn't recover from the other as the Warriors went on to claim Manasquan's third Tournament of Champions title in seven years after earning their fifth straight Group 2 state championship a week earlier. Manasquan took advantage of an 11-0 first half run to build its advantage to 39-22. But, Franklin rallied and cut the deficit to one point twice with the latter coming late in the fourth quarter when Franklin pulled within 61-60.

Faith Masonius retaliated by knocking down a pair of free throws with 1:16 left and Dara Mabrey scored on a layup to begin Manasquan's second 11-0 run of the game that covered the final 76-seconds of the contest, allowing the Warriors to pay Franklin back for a 50-48 buzzer beating loss in last season's Tournament of Champions final.

Mabrey led the champions with 30 points, six rebounds, four assists and a blocked shot. Masonius added 23 points, 15 boards, six assists and a couple of steals, while Lola Mullaney ripped the cords for 16 points and had six rebounds. Carly Geissler chipped in three points, a couple of boards and an assist and Emma Mcmenaman pulled down seven rebounds, dished out an assist, swiped an enemy ball and blocked two shots. Annie Mako blocked a shot in the championship contest. Manasquan opened postseason play with a 79-26 win over Bordentown before upending Matawan Regional 79-23 in the regional quarterfinals.

Then, following a 72-40 triumph over Holmdel, the Warriors kicked in the door to the Group 2 Final Four with a 67-43 victory over Lincoln. Manasquan bumped Manchester Township from state championship contention with a 63-41 semifinal win before outscoring Newark Tech 95-79 for the Group 2 state championship. Lisa Kukoda's club then went on to knock off Saddle River Day 80-67 in the Tournament of Champions semifinals after receiving a first round Bye, to set up the championship bout with Franklin. Manasquan, who is 149-20 during its run of five straight Group 2 championships, opened the season with a 64-12 win over Ocean Township. Then, following a 60-37 triumph over Red Bank Catholic, the Warriors upended Long Branch 68-33 to begin the season 3-0. Manasquan, owners of eight state championships and three Tournament of Champions titles, won three more contests before dropping a 75-55 decision to Paul VI (Fairfax, VA).

The Warriors won 26 of their final 27 contests and outscored their opposition 70.0-43.3 per outing on the year. Manasquan held 15 foes under 40 points, while scoring 70 points or more 16 times themselves. The Warriors scored a season-high 95 points in the Group 2 state championship win over Newark Tech. Having won 21 straight contests to end the year, Manasquan set itself up for some rather high rankings come season's end. Not only are the Warriors ranked No. 1 in MaxPreps' New Jersey Group 2 Rankings, Manasquan is the top squad in all of New Jersey. Kukoda's club is ranked No. 10 in MaxPreps' National Rankings and played its way into the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Writers' Poll at No. 13!

These incredible season achievements have earned the Manasquan Warriors an invitation to the 13th Annual Tour of Champions. Please join us in the auditorium for the spring awards assembly as we celebrate with the girls basketball team, coaching staff, students and fans on Wednesday, June 6 at 6:30 p.m.

For more information about the Tour of Champions, please visit the MaxPreps Tour of Champions site.