NEPTUNE, NEW JERSEY – Last second heroics were necessary to give the Freehold Boro Colonials a 69-67 victory over the Neptune Scarlet Fliers on Tuesday night.
Lance McKenzie was the hero.
Photo by Steve Goldberg
Freehold Boro watched their 64-59 lead disappear in the last two minutes of the game. Quintin Davis hit two three pointers in a row for Neptune, and Isais “Ikie” Calderon sunk two free throws to tie the game at 67 with 13 seconds left. When Freehold Boro turned the ball over on the inbounds pass, it appeared as if the Colonials were going to leave Neptune High School without a win for the fifth straight year.
In the next five seconds, Sterry Codrington knocked the ball away from Calderon, recovered the loose ball, and found Lance McKenzie driving to the hoop for an open layup. The sequence of events put the Colonials ahead for good with just a few seconds remaining in the game.
“Making that big play, he just got me the ball. I did what I’ve practiced, making left-handed layups,” McKenzie said.
“The emotions were obviously jubilation right away,” Freehold Boro Head Coach Ben DiBiase said about the game-winning play. “We came out and got a good, hard-fought victory on our opposing team’s court, which is very good. This is a big division win.”
Freehold Boro defeated the Scarlet Fliers for the first time on the road since Dec. 2004. Neptune, the defending NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III champions, eliminated the Colonials in the semifinals of the sectional playoffs last season.
“In my opinion, it’s the biggest win you can get in December,” DiBiase said. “But we have to keep in mind that it’s still December, so we have a lot still to play.”
Colonials forward Christian Garcia was the leading scorer in the game with 31 points. The team relied on Garcia’s ability to score from all areas of the floor when they needed him most late in the game. Although the Scarlet Fliers kept the contest close, they only managed to take the lead once in the second half.
Christian Garcia led the way with 31 points.
Photo by Steve Goldberg
“I just love playing against Neptune,” Garcia said. “They bring the intensity and they’re athletic ballplayers. I love playing against them because they give us a challenge. I think we deserve this win right here. We worked so hard for it, and it finally paid off with this win.”
The two teams will be participating in holiday tournaments beginning this Saturday. Neptune, ranked sixth in the Shore Conference, will look to rebound from the loss to Freehold Boro in their next game against Charter Academy in the Neptune Holiday Jubilee. No. 5 Freehold Boro, the top seed in the Jack Kuhnert Memorial Holiday Tournament, will face Bridgewater-Raritan, the eighth seed, in the first round.
