Mabrey’s Epic Game Powers Manasquan To Shore Conference Tournament Title By Mike Ready

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 while her older sister Marina –  now a standout guard at Notre Dame – poured in a game-high 29 points.  

Three years later, Dara took center stage and put on a performance for the ages scoring a game-high 33 points – five points shy of her career high. Her herculean effort helped second-seeded Manasquan upset top-seeded Saint John Vianney, 70-52, to capture the Shore Conference Tournament championship – their fifth in program history and first since 2015.

Throughout her career, the 5-foot-7 Mabrey, the game’s MVP, has had some big shoes to fill and has had to endure constant comparisons to the 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 during  her senior year with the Fighting Irish. 

“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. 

“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,’” Mabrey said. “At the end of the 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 an 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 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 of the quarter sending them into halftime with a 31-25 lead. 

A Virginia Tech-commit, Mabrey was 7-of-11 from the field, including 2-of-3 from beyond the 3-point arc and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line for 19 points in the first half. 

“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 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 plan failed, too.

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

“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, who recently committed to the University of Maryland, scored 13 of the Warriors’ 18 third-quarter points. Junior Lola Mullaney finished with 12 points, three boards, an assist, blocked shot and steal and added five points in the third, 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 that much sweeter. 

“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.”