Eagle girls sitting atop the A North division Showdown with young Colts Neck team set for tomorrow BY WARREN RAPPLEYEA Staff Writer The Middletown High School South girls basketball team is off to a 5-1 start and seems to have picked up where it left off after posting 23 victories a year ago. Coach Tom Brennan's team is 4-0 in the Shore Conference's Class A North division, having defeated conference rivals Freehold Township, Manalapan, Middletown North and Marlboro, the latter coming on Thursday by a 63-21 count. In nonconference play, the Eagles have won against New Brunswick and lost to Trenton Central. The Eagles are now facing five games in eight days, beginning on Monday against Howell, with some of the top teams in the Shore. On Thursday, Middletown South visits Colts Neck before returning home Friday to host Manchester. On Saturday, the Eagles travel to Asbury Park to face Neptune and on Monday crosstown rival Middletown North visits. Despite the Eagles' quick start, Brennan said his team has not been shooting as consistently as it can and could also be more consistent defensively. He pointed to the Marlboro game as an example. The Eagles shot poorly in the first half, yet took a 22-14 lead into the intermission thanks to equally poor shooting by Marlboro. After the break, Middletown North played stellar defense, allowing just seven points the rest of the way and permitting Marlboro just three shots in the third quarter. "We're not where we were last year defensively," he said. "We've been giving up too much penetration and we're not as focused on defense as a unit. I think we've turned the corner, though." With the ball, the Eagles have generally fared better, as most of Brennan's players have upped their scoring average. Christina Longo, who has been coming off the bench, leads the team in scoring with a 9.5 average and also tops the Eagles' rebounding, averaging 7.5 caroms. Longo's four straight defensive rebounds against New Brunswick led to an 8-0 Middletown South run that put the game away. Julie Gannon and sophomore forward Danielle Pankey are averaging nine points apiece, forward Shea Taggert averages 8.5 points and fellow forward Courtney Herring is at eight points. Point guard Brittany Hoffman averages seven points and five assists and is on pace to break the team record of 125 assists that she set last winter. The Eagles have also received strong showings from junior center Shawna Hagen, who averages five points and seven boards; speedy junior guard Jill Gannon, who averages six points; and guard Jenna McFarland, who provides defensive spark off the bench. Both Jill Gannon and McFarland have played well while battling ankle injuries. "Defenses have a problem keying on anyone because our scoring is so balanced," the coach said. "Everyone is scoring a little more and we're getting the points we need." Nevertheless, Brennan said he wouldn't mind seeing one of his players emerge as a "go-to" threat offensively. "Things have fallen into place for us, but I really think we can play a lot better than we have," Brennan added. "The good thing is that we've been winning, but we need to pick it up. There are a lot of games left and we don't want to let up."