Undefeated Manchester Girls Basketball Steamrolling Through Shore Confernce By Mike Ready

MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP – After Dejah Adams’ three-pointer with 5.7 seconds left in the game handed the Hawks a dramatic 34-33 win over Middle Township last season for their first ever sectional title, you would think that would be hard to top. Don’t hold your breath.

Manchester is back in a big way and they’re better than ever. They returned four starters from last year’s 24-5 team and added a superstar freshman that’s terrorizing the Shore Conference.

The Hawks are currently 11-0 and ranked 12th in the state and sixth in the Shore Conference. 

The arrival of freshman Destiny Adams has transformed a good team into great team capable of challenging the Monmouth County elite and putting Manchester and Ocean County back on the Shore Conference girls’ basketball map.

Adams – a 6-3 center – has burst on the scene averaging 17.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.2 blocked shots, 2.0 assist and 2.7 steals per game. Opposing teams don’t just game plan for Manchester now, they game plan for Adams. She’s as intimidating a freshman as the Shore Conference has ever seen. Adams is so athletic she’s capable of playing all five positions and don’t sleep on her from three-point land or she’ll burn you. She can be un-guardable in transition and in the post and already has DI coaches drooling over her. 

A couple of weeks ago she led the Hawks to the WOBM Christmas Tournament championship, scoring 28 points and pulling down 13 boards in a truly dominating performance.   

The Hawks finished ranked eighth in the Asbury Park Press final Top 10 last season after winning their second straight Class B South title with a 13-1 divisional record to go along with their NJSIAA South Jersey Group II championship. 

Not only did Manchester bring back four starters from a year ago, they returned their top bench player who returns to that same role as sixth man this season with the addition of Adams. 

Junior starter Dakota Adams  – Destiny’s older sister – is a 5-foot-10 forward who was a third-team All-Shore selection a year ago after averaging 7.3 points and 8.9 rebounds. She’s stepped up her game this season, scoring 11.1 points per game while averaging almost 11 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.0 steals a game. 

With the Adams sisters patrolling the paint it’s a nightmare for opposing teams attempting to penetrate the lane. 

Kamari Reynolds – a 5-foot-8 point guard – was selected Freshman of the Year last season after pouring in 14 points a game while averaging 4.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 4.1 steals. She’s the vocal leader and one of the best on-ball defenders in the Shore Conference ,if not the state. This season she’s averaging 13.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and a whopping 3.8 steals per game.

Sophomore guard Serenity Anderson also returns to the starting lineup after a stellar freshman season and was somewhat overlooked because of Reynolds’ breakout year. She’s an all-around player that can do a little bit of everything as her 6.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.3 steals per game average demonstrates. 

The Hawks’ fifth starter is senior Asha Harper, who assumed that role last season and is a battle-tested veteran who is willing to play the part of a role player and do whatever is asked of her. She’s an excellent passer and underrated rebounder and defender and another underrated player. She’s averaging 6.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game on a team loaded with all-stars. 

Another sophomore, Nahkaleigh Hayes-Jones, is the first player off the bench and saw action in 20 games last season and should get some starts. With a year under her belt she’ll be counted on for fresh legs and creating a spark with her ability to score and ball handling. She’s averaging 6.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game. 

Senior guard Cara Johnson, juniors Olivia Collura and Victoria Labrecque and freshman Morgan Brustman have all contributed off the bench. 

With two very winnable games left before traveling to No. 5 Rumson-Fair Haven on Jan.  20, the Hawks will more than likely still be undefeated with a chance to knock off a perennial Shore Conference and state power on their home court. 

Then, a week later they travel to Franklin – ranked No. 13 in the state. So with Manchester currently ranked 13th in the state and assuming both teams move up in the rankings prior to the game, we could be potentially looking at a battle between two top 10 teams.