Playoff Time at the JSBL: ACI/Robin’s Nest, Sea View Jeep Advance to Semis

MANASQUAN — For the first 36 minutes of the Jersey Shore Basketball League first-round playoff game between defending champion ACI/Robin’s Nest and the WCT Warriors, the reigning champions looked a lot like the team that won the 2025 championship. Guards Samier Kinsler, Dwaine Jones and Jared White were disruptive on defense and productive on offense; the team-wide effort on defense and the backboards that embodied last summer’s playoff run were on display, and ACI was on the cusp of taking the first step toward defending its title.

There was just one thing missing: First-Team All-JSBL center Jared Kimbrough. The 6-foot-8 Neptune High School graduate and former forward at both La Salle and Hartford was scoreless at halftime and had only four points heading into the final minutes before he showed up in crunch time to make the difference.

Kimbrough scored 10 of his 14 points in the final four minutes to back up 67 combined points by the backcourt trio, which powered ACI to a 97-91 win over WCT in the second game of the JSBL Playoff quarterfinal doubleheader Thursday at Manasquan High School.

“One thing I can say about the guys on this team is they are competitors,” Kinsler said. “We understand when it’s playoff time and when it’s time to lock in. We don’t like to lose to anybody.”

Kinsler led all scorers with 27 points to go with five rebounds, three assists and two steals and delivered a three-point play and a three-pointer on back-to-back trips to give his team an 80-70 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

“We watch film of the games, and we talk about it,” Kinsler said. “We’ll send each other clips and let each other know when we see something we can do better or if we see something in the other team that we think we can attack or we need to be ready for.”

Coming out of the final media timeout, Kimbrough finally found his scoring touch, hitting a mid-range fade-away and a jump-hook on back-to-back trips to push ACI’s lead back to 10. WCT pulled within 88-84 with 1:50 left on a drive by Andre Wells as he was fouled, followed by a putback by Scott Gyimesi.

Jones answered with a driving, left-handed scoop shot, and Gyimesi countered with a one-handed push shot from close range. WCT had a chance to cut the lead to one score after a steal, but missed a pair of three-point attempts.

With under 40 seconds left and trailing by four, WCT elected not to foul, and Kinsler made them pay by driving to the block and shoveling a pass to Kimbrough for a dunk that made it 92-86. Kimbrough capped his resounding finish with a pair of free throws and a layup.

Jones finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals, and White contributed 21 points, five rebounds and two steals. Kimbrough also pulled in eight rebounds and nabbed two steals to go with his 14 points.

“We just told Jared, ‘Keep going. We’ll find you,” Kinsler said. “‘Don’t lose your energy.’ He kept working and eventually got hot when we needed him.”

Gyimesi — a Rumson-Fair Haven alumnus — led WCT with 26 points and 18 rebounds, with former Manasquan High School and Monmouth University guard Jack Collins adding 17 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Wells contributed 13 points, six rebounds and four assists, and Jacob Morales chipped in 15 points and five rebounds in the loss.

ACI will continue its title defense Tuesday as they await Monday’s results to determine their next opponent. Last year, ACI/Robin’s Nest was a No. 3 seed when it won its first JSBL title and will be looking to repeat after finishing fourth during the regular season.

Kimbrough and Jones were teammates at Neptune during their high school days, and a vocal contingent of Neptune fans have been a constant at the ACI games over the past two seasons. Kinsler is from Philadelphia and played with Jones at West Virginia State.

“It’s the same energy, same type of crowd, same type of environment,” Kinsler said. “Whether we don’t lose a game or we are a bottom seed, we look at it like, ‘Let’s go win a championship.’”

 

X-Factor: Rice Bolster’s Sea View Jeep

Before the regular season finale, Xander Rice’s season consisted only of recaps from his teammates. Elbow surgery kept Rice out of basketball action for six weeks, and Thursday marked only the second time he set foot in Manasquan High School’s gym this summer.

Rice fit right in with Sea View’s operation, which disposed of Larson Ford, 117-100, Thursday to secure a spot in the JSBL semifinals Tuesday against the winner of Monday’s quarterfinal between No. 2 Stern’s Trailer and No. 7 RKE Athletic.

Newly named JSBL MVP Justin Robinson led Sea View with a game-high 32 points, five rebounds and six assists; fellow All-JSBL First-Team member Josh Cohen posted 19 points, 17 rebounds and five assists; and Rice contributed 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists in his summer debut. George Papas rained in 18 points with 5-for-8 shooting from three-point range — all after halftime. C.J. Ruoff (13 points, seven rebounds) and Jesse Steele made it six Sea View players in double-figure scoring.

“I talked to Justin and George all the time,” Rice said. “Those are some of my best friends outside this (league). I didn’t get to watch much, but I was locked in.”

Sea View raced out to a 35-12 lead by the final minute of the first quarter before a 27-11 run by Larson Ford cut the advantage to 46-39 late in the second quarter. Sea View closed the half with seven straight points to take a 53-39 lead to the break, with Rice, Robinson and Ruoff combining for all seven Sea View three-pointers and 39 total points. Cohen scored the other 14 points for Sea View in the first half.

Corey Floyd Jr. and Zayier Dean helped Larson Ford keep pace, with Floyd scoring 30 points and Dean pouring in 28 on a game-high five three-pointers. Floyd also added eight rebounds and five assists while Dean dished out five assists.

Floyd nailed a three-pointer to cut Larson’s deficit to 63-55 in the third quarter, but Sea View responded with a 10-0 run that included a pair of threes by Papas. Larson then punched back with a 10-1 burst buoyed by two three-pointers by the former Red Bank Regional standout Dean and trimmed its deficit to 81-75 heading to the fourth.

“Justin got hot, and he did a good job controlling the pace of the game,” Rice said. “When that happens, we just kind of get out of his way and then George started making shots, so we just pretty much fed them.”

Cohen converted a key three-point play to push the lead back to double figures early in the quarter, and Sea View kept Larson at bay the rest of the way. Former St. John Vianney big man Alex Leiba also pitched in 14 points and nine rebounds for Larson Ford.

For most of the second half, Sea View leaned on four former Monmouth University guards along with Cohen, the former Christian Brothers Academy star and center at St. Francis (Pa.), UMass and USC during his college days. Robinson, Papas, Steel and Rice all played at Monmouth under Rice’s father, King Rice.

“Justin and George are going to take a lot of shots. We all know that,” Rice said. “Josh is super, super skilled. He can score on anyone, but he is also great in the pick-and-roll, and with him and (6-8 center Emmett Hall), we have two big bodies that can help us rebound, so it’s been awesome playing both those guys.”