LESS THAN JAKE: BRODSKY LEADS EAGLES IN UPSET OF PATRIOTS

Middletown South pulled off a big upset of number-four ranked Freehold Township in a convincing 71-42 win.

Jake Brodsky led the Eagles through the Patriots' full-court pressure on his way to a game-high 22 points. Freehold went up 3-0 at the start of the game, but a couple of quick Brodsky three-pointers put the Eagles up for good.

"Jake came up huge for us today. The way he handled the ball for us against the press was pretty impressive," head coach Kevin Cullen said. "He and Kyle working together in the backcourt got us a bunch of wide open layups on fastbreaks."

Matt Callori and Kyle Cancilleiri continued their consistent play on offense, contributing 14 and 13 points, respectively.

The real story of the game, however, was South's defense, which has not been as strong this season as in recent years. The Eagles held Township to just six points in the first quarter and a total of 18 in the first half. The Patriots were only able to make 9 shots from the field all game.

"The key to the game was playing extremely disciplined basketball," Cullen said. "Our
zone was finally up to the level we needed it to be. We let up some open threes, but overall it was a good performance."

The defense has improved over the last couple of games for the Eagles, who averaged under 45 points per game last season.

"We were very pleased with the effort," Cullen said. "We've been improving each game."

The Eagles are going to need another solid effort on both offense and defense when the play Neptune at the Battle of the Boardwalk a 6 p.m. at Asbury Park Convention Hall.