JSBL: Tuesday’s Quarterfinal Previews

The Jersey Shore Basketball League playoffs continue tonight with the remaining quarterfinal games. The winners will advance to play in Thursday’s semifinals.

 

Jersey Shore Basketball League Quarterfinals

Tuesday, July 29, 2025

at Manasquan High School

7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. (Doors open at 6:30 p.m.)

Free Admission

(3) ACI/Robin’s Nest (5-3) vs (6) Larson Ford (2-6), 7 p.m.

ACI/Robin’s Nest Playoff Roster (Most Recent College/High School)

Sam Fagan, 6-1, Guard (Monmouth/Neptune)

Sean Grennan, 6-3, Guard (San Francisco/Donovan Catholic)

Marquail Hardiman, 6-8, Center (Morris CC/Newark West Side)

Dwaine Jones, 6-5, Guard (U of Charleston/Neptune)

Micah Kerr, 6-5, Forward (Kean/Neptune)

Jared Kimbrough, 6-8, Forward (Hartford/Neptune)

Samier Kinsler, 6-2, Guard (Glenville State/West Catholic PA)

Ibn Loyal, 6-5, Forward (Missouri Southern State/Patrick School)

Ty Montgomery, 6-2, Guard (William Paterson/Admiral Farragut)

Lucas Orchard, 6-3, Guard (Monmouth/Perkiomen PA)

***Gio Panzini, 6-5, Forward (Cornell/St. Rose)***

**Jack Clark, 6-10, Forward (VCU/Cheltenham PA)**

**Myles Powell, 6-2, Guard (Seton Hall/South Kent CT)**

**One of either Clark OR Powell can be activated as the team’s special category playoff exception** (NBA Summer League/Former NBA)

***Panzini will not be in uniform due to Cornell basketball’s international trip***

Larson Ford Playoff Roster (Most Recent College/High School)

Lucas Agbejemisin, 6-10, Center (Lawrenceville Prep)

Zion Bethea, 6-4, Guard (Pepperdine/Immaculate Conception)

***Gene Campbell, 6-1, Guard (NJCU/East Brunswick Tech)***

****Zayier Dean, 6-0, Guard (Western Texas/Red Bank)****

Je’lon Hornbeak, 6-3, Guard (Monmouth/Grace Prep TX)

Amari Jones, 6-6, Forward (Georgian Court/Asbury Park)

Quashawn Lane, 6-2, Guard (New Haven/Trenton Catholic)

Alex Leiba, 6-10, Center (Pepperdine/St. John Vianney)

Peter Luster, 6-0, Guard (Middlesex CC/Sayreville)

Josh Morris, 6-7, Center (Bloomfield/Ewing)

Donovan Summey, 6-2, Guard (Brookdale/Middletown South)

*Luke Anshelewitz, 6-0, Guard (Manhattanville/St. Rose)*

*Peter Mauro, 6-0, Guard (Felician/College Achieve)*

**David Munro, 6-8, Forward (Merrimack/Camden)**

*One of either Anshelewitz OR Mauro can be activated as the team’s regular category playoff exception*

**Munro can be activated as the team’s special category playoff exception** (active D1)

***Campbell will not be in uniform as his team is still competing in the TBT***

****Dean is unlikely to play due to a minor injury****

 

For the third time this summer, ACI/Robin’s Nest and Larson Ford will square off. The Nest won both regular season match-ups including a 100-63 blitz on opening night as well as a 93-89 battle on the last night of the regular season. ACI/Robin’s Nest will be without the services of 3rd Team All-JSBL selection Gio Panzini while Larson Ford will be without the league’s Most Improved Player Zayier Dean and sharpshooter Gene Campbell.

ACI/Robin’s Nest keys to the game:

1. Get Josh Morris in foul trouble or tire him out on defense

Larson Ford’s Josh Morris scored 29 points on 10-for-19 from the field on the final night of the regular season. At 6’7 and over 300 pounds he is the strongest player on the court and has very good touch. Simply putting a body on him in the post will likely not be enough to stop him. They can make it easier for themselves by attacking him off switches and making him work on defense. If they can draw a few early fouls, they can eliminate the problem of having to contain him on the offense end when he is on the bench.

2. Work the two-man game between Dwaine Jones and Jared Kimbrough

Much of ACI/Robin’s Nest’s success in the latter half of the season came from terrific ball movement and some excellent plays drawn up from assistant coach Jim McDonnell who works for the Brooklyn Nets, but when push comes to shove the two-man game between Neptune alumni Jones and Kimbrough is what the Nest likes to go to. Kimbrough is a major threat both as a rim runner on the roll and as a pop threat on the perimeter. Jones is very difficult to stop when he can get to his left hand off the bounce. With shooters like Sam Fagan and Samier Kinsler, the entire team can benefit from the two-man actions.

3. Do everything possible to get Clark or Powell in uniform

Having an elite scorer like Powell or rare 6’10 athlete like Clark who are borderline NBA talents would change the landscape of not only the first round game but also the entire playoffs.

Larson Ford keys to the game:

1. Move the ball

In Larson Ford’s most recent loss against ACI/Robin’s Nest, the team registered 12 assists to the Nest’s 22 assists. On opening night the margin was 22-6 in favor of the Nest. Far too often Larson Ford’s offense becomes stagnant with a ton of one-on-one and standing around by the rest of the team. It is difficult to win games that way against a team like ACI/Robin’s Nest that plays solid team defense.

2. Feed the ball inside to Morris

Josh Morris is Larson Ford’s biggest mismatch as the strongest player on the floor. He was the only player to give the league’s Defensive Player of the Year, Jared Kimbrough, trouble this season. Even if he is double teamed, he can create quality shots by making the correct read and pass.

3. Get Je’lon Hornbeak involved early

The former Monmouth University star is the most experienced player on the young Larson Ford roster. Hornbeak won a JSBL championship and earned playoff MVP back in 2014 as a member of the now defunct Horn Law Group franchise. He is one of the top outside shooters in the league and will have to be at his best for the team to win.

The Pick:

ACI/Robin’s Nest 102-Larson Ford 85

The obvious safe bet is to pick a result somewhere between the 37 point annihilation in the first match-up and the 4 point nail biter in the last match-up. ACI/Robin’s Nest’s ball movement and team play has been much better overall this season making it impossible to pick against them.

 

(4) Sea View Jeep (5-3) vs (5) RKE Athletic (4-4), 8:30 p.m.

Sea View Jeep Playoff Roster (Most Recent College/High School)

Keith Allen, 6-2, Guard (Brookdale/Ocean Twp)

Regan Burke, 6-3, Guard (Brookdale/Holy Cross)

Chris Brady, 6-10, Center (Monmouth/Harborfields NY)

Matthew Breen, 6-4, Forward (St. Rose)

Colin Cavanaugh, 5-10, Guard (Wilkes/RBC)

Jesse Jones, 6-0, Guard (Bridgeport)

Max Mahoney, 6-8, Forward (Boston U/Ridge)

***Xander Rice, 6-3, Guard (Monmouth/Patrick School)***

Justin Robinson, 5-8, Guard (Monmouth/Kingston NY)

CJ Ruoff, 6-3, Guard (Catholic/RBC)

Collin Stewart, 6-7, Forward (Monmouth/Mekeel Christian NY)

Kevin Telesford, 6-4, Forward (Immaculata/Monmouth Regional)

*Roy Mabrey, 6-2, Guard (Saint Anselm/CBA)*

**Josh Cohen, 6-10, Forward (USC/CBA)**

*Mabrey can be activated as the team’s regular category playoff exception*

**Cohen can be activated Sea View Jeep’s special category playoff exception** (TBT)

***Rice is unlikely to play as he sustained a minor injury that will likely sideline him for the remainder of the season.***

RKE Athletic Playoff Roster (Most Recent College/High School)

Ty Armstrong, 6-2, Guard (East Central/Brinkley AR)

Denzel Banks, 6-2, Guard (NJCU/East Orange Campus)

Kyle Cardaci, 6-2, Guard (Saint Peter’s/Mater Dei Prep)

Jack Collins, 6-5, Guard (Monmouth/Manasquan)

Nick Davidson, 6-6, Forward (Bloomfield/Rancocas Valley)

Elijah Ford, 6-5, Guard (Wagner/Weequahic)

Peter Gorman, 6-0, Guard (Ramapo/Mater Dei Prep)

Dane Moran, 6-9, Center (Dickinson/CBA)

Shack Scott, 6-6, Forward (Wagner/Passaic Tech)

Dan Singleton, 6-4, Guard (Montclair State/Neptune)

AJ Sumbry, 6-8, Forward (Wagner/St. Benedict’s)

**Nico Galette, 6-6, Forward (Youngstown State/Rutgers Prep)**

**Galette will be activated as RKE Athletic’s special category playoff exception** (TBT)

 

Sea View Jeep and RKE Athletic have played in some instant classic playoff games in recent years. Last year, Sea View Jeep held on for a 125-123 win on a defensive stand on the final possession. The prior year, the two teams played in a double overtime game which was also won by Sea View Jeep. In this year’s game, Sea View Jeep ran away with a 140-116 victory. Both teams have hit a tailspin towards the end of the regular season with RKE Athletic losing four out of their last five games and Sea View Jeep losing their last two games. Something will have to give.

Sea View Jeep keys to the game:

1. Find a way to get Josh Cohen into the building

Cohen’s TBT team lost in the round of 8 last night. If he can make it back to the Jersey Shore in time for the 8:30 p.m. tip-off, he would be a major playoff addition. Make no mistake, Sea View Jeep has more than enough to win without him, but adding him to the roster would give them a roster rivaled only by Sterns Trailer as the best in the league.

2. Pressure the RKE Athletic guards

RKE Athletic has turned the ball over 16 times per game in their four losses. They have not been the same since losing star point guard Sidney Brown before the season to a major leg injury in a car accident. Sea View Jeep will have the two quickest guards on the floor in Justin Robinson and Jesse Jones so it is just a matter of playing tight defense.

3. Spread the floor for Robinson and Jones

In the first match-up Robinson and Jones were significantly quicker than everyone on RKE’s roster and they combined for 84 points with each player going for 42 points. The game essentially became a layup line as no one on RKE could stay in front of the duo. The defensive three second rule will work in their favor, but knocking down some early outside shots would certainly go a long way towards creating the space necessary to dominate the game.

RKE Athletic keys to the game:

1. Get Kyle Cardaci in uniform no matter what it takes

Like Cohen, Cardaci’s TBT team lost in the round of 8 last night. Coach Sean Gallagher might have to call in a private jet to get Cardaci back to the Jersey Shore from West Virginia. RKE Athletic started the year 3-1 with Cardaci as an MVP candidate before he left. Since then, they are 1-3 and falling apart. If they can reunite Cardaci with Jack Collins and Nico Galette who returned in time to become playoff eligible, they can compete with every team in the league.

2. Protect the ball

Sloppy passes have been the biggest reason RKE hit a skid during the latter half of the season. Allowing easy points off turnovers is far worse than missing shots and getting back on defense.

3. Make someone other than Robinson or Jones be the hero

Of course it is much easier said than done to take away two of the top professionals in the league, but if RKE Athletic can make anyone else other than the two stars consistently hit outside shots they have a much better chance of winning. If that third player has a career night, you just have to tip your cap to them. It might be worth experimenting with unique defensive looks to protect the rim against the two guards.

The Pick:

Sea View Jeep 118-RKE Athletic 108

Sea View Jeep has had RKE Athletic’s number in recent years and that is unlikely to change with Robinson and Jones in uniform together.