LINWOOD – The Mainland Mustangs lit up the scoreboard in their opening-round playoff game.
If the Mustangs had any playoff nerves, they didn’t show it as Mainland Regional High School girls put up a whopping 68 points against Winslow Township High School and won 68-52 on Feb. 27. It was their second-highest scoring game of the season catapulted by a fast start.
Unfortunately, the Mainland girls were upset Monday evening by No. 6 Toms River East, 62-54.
Against Winslow, the No. 3 seed Mustangs jumped out to a 14-2 start and carried that lead all the way to the finish line. They never trailed. Brielle Smith led the attack with 19 points via aggressive drives towards the rim. Smith scored nine field goals from the floor, with most of her shots being off quick cuts that she finished with a layup.
Smith followed the Mustangs’ offensive game plan to the letter with Mainland head coach Bobby Edmunds saying it was how the team prepared all week.
“Our game plan the whole time was to not settle for outside jumpers and give Winslow chances for rebounds,” Edmunds said. “We wanted to attack the rim and felt we had an advantage with our guards going downhill. Preached all week about making the extra pass and it paid off; 68 points is a lot for a girls high school game, let alone a playoff game.”
The Mustangs continued to click with junior Sammy Funk, who controlled the paint on both sides of the court. Funk had her highest-scoring game of the season with 18 points and nearly had a double-double with eight rebounds. The forward was a safety net for the Mustangs as each time Winslow seemed to be clawing its way back into the game, Funk was given the ball underneath to convert an easy bucket.
Winslow stayed alive in the game thanks to some strong scoring runs led by Labreya Lewis. Lewis was a force all game long from everywhere on the court as she led all players with 26 points. She made sure to keep the Eagles within reach but they never managed to overcome the advantage the Mustangs built for themselves in the first quarter.
“I talked to them about getting out to an early lead and how that is important,” Edmunds said. “Winslow is a good team and were able to go on 8-0 runs themselves. But since we put ourselves in position to go up by 10 points early, those runs did not hurt us as badly and we were able to respond with our own.”
Mainland’s response usually ended with Smith or Funk at the rim but were always started with great passing by the Mustang backcourt. Smith’s sister, Callie Smith, added six points of her own but was credited with seven assists to get the offense moving.
Reilly Nagle served a jack-of-all-trades role in the game and made an impact everywhere she went. The guard scored six points, hauled in six rebounds, and matched Callie Smith’s seven assists for an efficient day on the court.
Winslow cut the lead to 48-40 at the start of the fourth quarter thanks to two three-pointers by Ryan Jones, but was matched one last time by back-to-back, old-fashioned three-point plays by the leading Mustangs, Brielle Smith and Funk. They both converted their foul shots and put the lead back into the double-digits to finish the game.
“We managed to keep them at bay for the most part, but the team just kept making the next play which is why I was proud of them today,” Edmunds said.
The No. 3 seed Mustangs’ run through the Group III playoffs continued into the quarterfinals against Toms River East High School on Monday, March 2. The Mustangs beat Toms River East back on Feb. 7 by a score of 54-23, but Edmunds believed his opponent would be a “much different team” after the first meeting was plagued by some injuries but is excited for the opportunity to keep playing.
TRE 62, MRHS 54
Toms River East (15-12) upset the Mustangs 62-54 Monday night in the quarterfinals.
TRE jumped out to a 13-7 lead in the first quarter, but Mainland stormed by in the second, scoring 23 points to go into the half up 30-26. The visitors outscored Mainland 12-8 in the third, tying things up 38-38 heading into the fourth.
TRE finished strong with its best quarter, scoring 24 to Mainland’s 16 for the win.
Brielle Smith had another big game with 29 points, including four three-pointers. Her sister, Callie, scored three treys for nine points. Jade O’Neil had seven points, Funk had five and Nagle and Emilia Perez two each.
The Mustangs finished their season with an 18-10 record. TRE moved on face No. 2 Moorestown in the semifinals. In the other semifinal game, No. 1 Cherry Hill West is hosting No. 5 Hammonton.
– STORY by WILLIAM TRUITT/For the Sentinel
– PHOTOS by DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
