The Middletown South girls basketball program has been through a lot this 2015-16 season, with both the team and coaching staff suffering from injuries and illness for parts of the season. On Monday night all of that bottled up emotion came bursting out as the No. 1 Eagles defeated No. 3 Neptune 55-40 for the program’s third straight NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III title. A season with several storylines for the Eagles got a couple more after the sectional final victory. Seniors Steph Karcz and Julia Valkos were able to get a win in what would be the final home game of their careers. It was a game with a blistering pace from both teams, as Karcz finished with a team-high 18 points along with eight steals and eight rebounds. “Definitely with everything that has been going on this season it’s extra-sweet,” Karcz said. “Being a senior, I wanted to go out with a bang, and I think we did just that.” Karcz and Alexandra Balsamo were forced to step up in more ways than one, when South head coach Tom Brennan was sidelined by quadruple bypass surgery early in the season. The team was then hit with injuries to starters Julia Valkos and Haley Dalonzo.Interim head coach Jess Chalmers took over for Brennan and kept the team together, according to coach Brennan, but thanks to a speedy recovery, he was able to return to the bench for the Eagles. He was also able to see his freshman daughter Isla step up in big spots for Middletown South throughout the game. Brennan finished with 16 points, including two huge three-point field goals in the third quarter. The coach and daughter shared a special moment on the court after the win. “It was surreal,” coach Brennan said. “We have kind of been putting everything I have been through on the back shelf, and it all just came out.” Neptune was able to keep the game close, but the difference was the 2-3 zone applied by South in the fourth quarter. The Eagles held the Scarlet Fliers to just seven points in the final quarter of the game. “Going in at halftime we knew they were going to make runs,” Karcz said. “We thought it was best to go into the zone and disrupt the shooters, and make them go inside out.” After being injured for most of the season, Valkos was also able to come off the bench for South. She hit two three-pointers in the first half, but it was her defense that was the difference in the second half. “It definitely helped a lot,” Karcz said. “She is so long in the zone for us and makes the baskets when we need them.” Neptune’s Desiree Allen finished with 10 points along with 10 rebounds, and Brianna Love also finished with a team-high 15 points. Middletown South advances to the Group III semifinals against Ocean City on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Deptford High School. “We are going to keep playing hard and keep playing the way we can,” Karcz said. “As long as we put our minds to it we will get as far as we want to go.”