Hawks Soaring with Plenty of Support

Manchester Township High School is not rich in success on the basketball court.  That’s not to say the Hawks have not had their moments with their boys teams winning a few divisional titles and the 2013 WOBM Christmas Classic.

Likewise the Lady Hawks claimed a handful of division titles, including a co-championship in 2016. That was the fifth season for coach Dave Beauchemin who likely did not know it would be the start of an era unmatched on the hardwood for the school.

In 2017 the Hawks went 24-6, captured the outright “B South” title and went on to win their first-ever state title when they beat Middle Township on a 3-pointer at the buzzer by senior Dejah Adams.  Their season would end a few days later with a loss to Manasquan who would go on to play in the finals of the Tournament of Champions.

While Dejah would graduate her younger sister Dakota, a sophomore and then freshman Kemari Reynolds would be key parts of a promising future.

Last season was almost a carbon copy of the year before as Manchester finished 26-5, won their first WOBM Christmas Classic championship along with another divisional title and their second straight state sectional title.  Once again the season would end with a loss to Manasquan who would then capture the Tournament of Champions.

This Hawks team included another Adams sister with freshman Destiny bursting on the scene and quickly becoming one of the shore’s top players.

This season has seen the Hawks soar to new heights.  Dakota & Destiny, Reynolds and Serenity Anderson have been joined by transfer Leilani Correa who is one of the best players in the state. They have collected a lot of hardware, winning a second straight WOBM Christmas Classic, a fourth consecutive Class “B South” title and for the third year in-a-row the South Jersey Group 2 crown.

But unlike the past two years it did not end with a loss to Manasquan but rather a victory over the Warriors on their way to the overall Group 2 title.  Manchester then rolled to a 30-point win in their Tournament of Champions opener and tonight will put a 24-game winning streak on the line against Saddle River Day in the semifinals at the RWJBarnabas Health Arena.

The Rebels are one of only two teams to beat the Hawks this season and it came back on January 4^th by 9 points.

Manchester will have an unofficial home court advantage tonight including a large and loud student section.  If they can cheer their team on to victory then it’s on to Rutgers Sunday for the TOC Final.  Who would have thought?