JSBL Quarterfinals: RKE Athletic upsets Sea View Jeep; Jones leads ACI/Robin’s Nest past Larson Ford

MANASQUAN — With a trio of guards averaging over 30 points per game and the return of 6-foot-10 forward Josh Cohen, Sea View Jeep entered as the favorite for Tuesday night’s Jersey Shore Basketball League quarterfinals.

RKE Athletic didn’t get the memo.

In a game that was defined by the teams trading runs like boxers exchanging haymakers, fifth-seeded RKE Athletic outlasted fourth-seeded Sea View Jeep, 119-113, to advance to the JSBL semifinals at Manasquan High School. Despite being without leading scorer Kyle Cardaci and leading rebounder Dane Moran, RKE started fast and finished strong to take down a Sea View team that looked like a title contender heading into the playoffs.

Denzel Banks scored a game-high 35 points on 15 of 28 shooting, while Nico Galette delivered a great all-around game with 26 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. Tyler Armstrong added 16 points and four rebounds, AJ Sumbry produced a double-double with 14 points and 11 boards, and Boogie Ford totaled 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. Jack Collins also had a solid all-around game despite a tough shooting night, finishing with eight assists and seven rebounds to go along with seven points.

Cohen a former Christian Brothers Academy standout who started for USC this past season, flew back to New Jersey from West Virginia after playing in The Basketball Tournament playoffs on Monday night and recorded a team-high 31 points and 14 rebounds to lead Sea View Jeep. Jesse Jones Jr. scored 26 points with 6 rebounds and 5 assists, Justin Robinson scored 22 points, and Xander Rice dropped in 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.

RKE will play top-seeded and three-time defending JSBL champion Sterns Trailer in the semifinals on Thursday.

“I think today was the definition of how basketball is a game of runs,” Galette said. “We came out fast and punched them, and they came back and punched us. It’s like a boxing match. There’s a lot of rounds in this game and we kept our chin strongest and came out on top.”

“The motto I kept pushing was to keep fighting,” Banks said. “They’re going to have runs, we’re going to have runs, but keep fighting no matter what. I feel like if we play our basketball, we can beat anybody on any given night.”

The teams traded baskets in the first few minutes after tip-off before RKE Athletic opened up a double-digit lead by delivering a 17-2 run that forged an eventual 32-17 edge, the largest advantage of the game for either team. The cushion was short-lived, however, as Robinson knocked down a three-pointer and Cohen began to heat up in the paint. Sea View Jeep closed the first quarter strong to cut RKE’s lead to 36-29.

Down 15 at one point, Sea View Jeep responded with a massive 25-3 run that began in the first quarter to take a 51-39 lead midway through the second quarter. RKE answered to cut its deficit to five points as Sea View took a 60-55 lead into halftime.

In the third quarter, Sea View Jeep continued to lean on its big four of Robinson, Jones, Rice, and Cohen and extended its lead to 94-83 heading to the final 10 minutes. Multiple times, it looked like Sea View was going to pull away for good, but RKE kept hammering away.

“We were just up big and they came back, so why can’t we do it?” Banks said. “We just kept fighting.”

Banks and Galette lead the charge in the fourth quarter when RKE Athletic outscored Sea View Jeep by 17 points to muscle its way across the finish line. Cohen had a monster game for Sea View Jeep and guarding him led to a combined 18 fouls on Sumbry, Armstrong, Galette, and Shack Scott, but the box score told a story of a collective effort by RKE that won the battle in the paint. RKE Athletic held a 59-48 edge on the glass, including 22 offensive rebounds. RKE also had the advantage in points in the paint (60-46), second-chance points (25-13), points off turnovers (24-17), and defensive stops (51-42). It was a gritty effort from start to finish.

“That’s kind of what we hang our hat on, playing defense,” Galette said. “Every night it’s going to be someone different – Denzel had 35 tonight, last game I had 40, so anything can happen, offensively. We know what we can count on with our defense.”

Now RKE will try to take down the No. 1 seed and three-time defending champs when it meets Sterns Trailer at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday. Sterns won the regular-season matchup, 104-75, on July 8. RKE could be at full strength with Cardaci and Moran expected back.

“If we get guys to show up and play how we can play, we’ll be good,” Galette said.

 

Jones leads ACI/Robin’s Nest into semifinals

In the first game of Tuesday night’s quarterfinal double-header, standout guard Dwaine Jones continued his superb season by scoring a game-high 34 points to lead ACI/Robin’s Nest to a 95-74 win over Larson Ford.

Tied at 24 after the first quarter, ACI/Robin’s Nest methodically added to its lead en route to a 21-point victory that clinched a spot in Thursday’s semifinals. Jones, who entered the playoffs averaging 20 points per game, showcased his entire skillset by shooting 11 of 14 from the floor, connecting on 11 of 13 free throws, and adding seven assists and eight rebounds. Longtime teammate Jared Kimbrough, the JSBL Defensive Player of the Year, had 14 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 block.

ACI/Robin’s Nest will play No. 2 seed Intern Helpers in the semifinals at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

The two-man game between Jones and Kimbrough has been the catalyst for ACI/Robin’s all season, and the duo had another strong game together to open the JSBL playoffs.

“I’ve been playing with him since first grade in biddy basketball so we have about 15 years of chemistry together,” Jones said. “And he’s such an easy guy to play with. I think the main thing that goes unnoticed is when you’re able to communicate with someone and they don’t have an ego or take it personally, they just listen. I might see something on the court and tell him and he might see something and tell me.”

Another Neptune product, Sam Fagan, drained three three-pointers and added four assists, while Micah Kerr, also a Neptune graduate, chipped in with seven points and three rebounds. Tyreek Montgomery added 14 points on 6 of 8 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds.

Josh Morris, the 6-foot-7, 300-pound big man with a smooth shooting stroke, scored a team-high 22 points and added seven rebounds to lead Larson Ford. Peter Mauro scored 21 points and Amari Jones finished with 13 points and five rebounds.

The defensive intensity always increases during the playoffs, and that was most evident in ACI/Robin’s Nest’s performance. They allowed just 27 points in the second half to break open what was a four-point game at halftime. They produced seven steals and four blocks and out-rebounded Larson Ford 47-31.

“I try to be the catalyst on that by demanding my guys play at a high level on defense,” Jones said. “I want to play hard and give the fans something to watch.”

Thursday’s semifinal game will be the second meeting of the season between Intern Helpers and ACI/Robin’s Nest. Intern Helpers won 95-92 on June 30. ACI/Robin’s Nest won’t have the services of versatile guard Gio Panzini, who is on an international trip with the Cornell men’s basketball team, but could potentially welcome back former Seton Hall star Myles Powell. That addition would certainly bolster the lineup, but with Jones and Kimbrough leading a team that has won five straight games, ACI/Robin’s Nest is going to be a load to deal with regardless.

“I think I’m one of the best guards in the league,” Jones said. “There’s a lot of really good players and I think when I’m playing my best basketball I’m right up there with them. If I can lead my team the right way, I feel we have a chance against anybody.”