JSBL Playoff Seeds Finalize as Top Two Seeds Win Big in Penultimate Regular-Season Night

MANASQUAN — With one night left in the JSBL regular season, the playoff seeds are set.

​The top two seeds, County Line Auto Body and Sterns Trailer, both won big over two opponents near the bottom of the slate. Scroll to the bottom of the story for the full playoff schedule.

Sterns Trailer takes control in the first half, clinches second seed

​A fixture near the top of the league standings for several years running, Sterns Trailer officially clinched the two-seed in the upcoming playoffs with a big win over Larson Ford, setting up a quarterfinals matchup with seven-seed RKE Athletic on Monday night at 8:30 p.m.

​A late run by Larson Ford made the 104-95 score look closer than the game indicated, but an efficient first half propelled Sterns Trailer to a victory that was in control after mere minutes of the game.

​Guard Jalen Gaffney led a balanced scoring effort with a team-high 24 points, much of it coming in the opening 20 minutes. He was one of six double-digit scorers for Sterns Trailer – of their seven players in attendance – and took over in the second quarter with an array of impressive shots to help build the lead.

​“Just shooting when I was open, really,” said Gaffney after the game. “Shooting when I was open and being aggressive. My teammates were finding me, and I was hitting shots. Slowed down in the second half, obviously, but I know we had the win in the bag, honestly, so I kind of chilled. Just wanted to get out to a good lead, so we didn’t have to struggle the rest of the half.”

​The second half was a breeze for Sterns after taking a 66-41 lead into the locker room at the break.

​Much of Sterns’ core was in attendance, including Gaffney, forwards Parker Dortch (19 points) and Rasheen Merlin (15 points), and guards Savon Myers (20 points, 11 rebounds) and Mason Jones (13 points), giving them a good tune-up game for the upcoming playoffs.

​“I think we just played together, like I said,” Gaffney added. “[And] rebounded the ball. I think rebounding, especially defensive rebounding, has been killer for us since I’ve been playing at least. And just limiting teams to not hit a lot of threes, really. I think threes, though, kill us too a lot too. So I think just playing together and just playing good basketball, that’s all that really matters.”

​Sterns accomplished both of those goals against Larson Ford, with the former being an even tougher test against Larson Ford’s size in the frontcourt. Forward Mike Aaman (ten points, 11 rebounds) played a big part in the second-quarter run as well, as the wily veteran welcomed the tough matchup on the low block.

​It may have gotten outrebounded 67-55 – former Seton Hall and Florida State forward Shahid Muhammad recorded a 21-point, 15-rebound double-double, including ten offensive boards – but Larson Ford struggled with its shooting efficiency. It shot 37 percent from the floor for the game, and 7-for-35 (20 percent) from beyond the arc, with many of the made shots coming late after Sterns already had the win in hand.

​Larson Ford’s offense looked out of sync for much of the evening, a testament to Sterns Trailer’s impressive defensive effort.

​“They had two big guys, two very bouncy big guys as well,” said Gaffney. “But I think just with that team, they were a lot younger, so they made a lot more mistakes. And a lot of the other teams, a lot older, a lot of pro guys who won’t make those same mistakes. So we just got to stay locked in for 40 [minutes].”

​That 40-minute mantra hasn’t fully shown up for Sterns Trailer too often this season, even given the impressive 5-2 record. They’ve been a tremendous second-half team, turning deficits into close wins and close games into big wins, but they put the pedal to the metal from the opening tip-off to take control early.

​Former Roselle Catholic and Providence standout Corey Floyd Jr. paced Larson Ford’s offense with 29 points, while Muhammad provided plenty of production in the frontcourt.

With Sterns Trailer set to play on Monday, Larson Ford, at 2-4, is locked in at sixth place, still with a matchup against top-seeded County Line Auto Body looming in Wednesday’s regular season finale. Larson Ford will then play three-seed Sea View Jeep on Thursday night at 7 p.m. in the opening round of the playoffs.

County Line Auto Body strengthens grip on top seed, downs RKE Athletic

​The top seed in the JSBL playoffs was already set in stone even before Tuesday’s nightcap, so County Line Auto Body’s last two regular-season games really don’t mean much.

​Somebody forgot to tell them that.

​The league’s newest team continued its undefeated run, moving to 6-0 with a 113-95 victory over RKE Athletic, in another game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated.

​The 94×50 League connection proved to be bountiful yet again, as the trio of Josh Treadwell, Jachai Simmons (both Jersey Shore Breaks), and Markus Kennedy (Capital Seahawks) was too much to handle for RKE.

​County Line’s signature hard-nosed defense and connective passing helped them build a 26-point lead at the half, and it grew to as high as 34 points in the third quarter.

​Treadwell was masterful as a shotmaker, pouring in a game-high 34 points on 23 shots, including 11-for-15 from inside the arc. Possession after possession, Treadwell isolated against multiple different defenders, walked them down to his sweet spot in the midrange, and buried a shot, no matter what the contest looked like.

​Guard Kyle McGee (Sacred Heart/West Chester) continued his strong run, scoring 20 points off the bench. He was rewarded for his strong transition efforts, scoring off several long outlet passes to thwart any chance of RKE Athletic coming back.

​Even with a close first quarter, after County Line Auto Body broke a 22-22 tie with a 7-0 run in the final minute, the top seed burst out to open the second quarter, outscoring RKE 34-16. The defense continued to play like it was on a string, with its pressure forcing several turnovers that led to easy baskets the other way.

​RKE Athletic didn’t go down without a fight, though. Even with the gaudy total on the scoreboard, they turned on the heat in the final minutes of the third and beginning of the fourth quarter. Their uptempo attack freed up standouts Nico Galette (28 points) and Kyle Cardaci (23 points).

​At one point, they managed to cut the lead to 15, but it was too little, too late, as County Line Auto Body put the finishing touches on the victory with some timely buckets late.

​They already have the top seed locked up, but will play one more against Larson Ford on Wednesday on the final night of the regular season. Regardless of the result, they will play eight-seed OIB Ortho in the quarterfinals on Monday night at 7 p.m.

​With the loss, RKE Athletic falls to 2-5 to end the regular season and finishes in seventh place. They will avoid the last-place slot, with a head-to-head win over OIB Ortho, but will face off against two-seed Sterns Trailer.

Remaining Schedule

Wednesday, July 29

County Line Auto Body vs Larson Ford, 7 p.m.

ACI/Robin’s Nest vs OIB Ortho, 8:30 p.m.

Thursday, July 30 

Quarterfinals

(3) Sea View Jeep vs (6) Larson Ford, 7 p.m.

(4) ACI/Robin’s Nest vs (5) WCT Warriors, 8:30 p.m.

Monday, August 3

Quarterfinals

(1) County Line Auto Body vs (8) OIB Ortho, 7 p.m.

(2) Sterns Trailer vs (7) RKE Athletic, 8:30 p.m.

Tuesday, August 4

Semifinals

Highest Seed vs. Lowest Seed, Time TBD

Second Highest Seed vs. Third Highest Seed, Time TBD

Thursday, August 6

Championship

7:30 p.m.