Larson Ford rebounds for second straight win, County Line Auto Body strengthens grip on top spot in JSBL Wednesday night action

MANASQUAN — Wednesday night’s action in the JSBL saw two commanding victories for teams on opposite sides of the standings as the league’s hierarchy begins to take shape, in the midst of its third week of action in Manasquan.

​County Line Auto Body and Larson Ford were big-time winners, both ending their respective games with a running clock, as the league’s newest and oldest franchises each played some of their best basketball of the season on Wednesday.

​Larson Ford takes control, wins second straight in dominant victory over Sea View Jeep

​The nightcap was the more surprising result of the two, with 1-3 Larson Ford taking on 2-1 Sea View Jeep, but the former had size, aggression, and a deeper bench on their side, and won nearly wire-to-wire over the latter, 106-85.

​Forward Isiah McCallum (Bloomfield HS/Paul Quinn College) took charge in the opening minutes and never looked back, finishing with a game-high 33 points along with 14 rebounds. His aggression from the opening tip-off provided Larson Ford with the early spark to battle back-and-forth, before taking the lead for good in the second quarter.

​“Just a little bit of everything,” he said about what he provided on the floor. “Jump shots, drives. I just tried to stay real aggressive.”

​Larson Ford flexed their muscles at the basket all night long, nearly doubling up Sea View Jeep on the glass (72 to 40 on rebounds), and created plenty of easy looks around the rim (32 points in the paint).

​Much of that effort was also thanks to big man Shahid Muhammad (Seton Hall), who racked up 19 points and 22 rebounds, while also showcasing some added confidence in his jump shot paired with his strong rim protection.

​“He’s a high flyer,” said McCallum of his starting center. “He’s a dog. I love playing with Shahid. He can do a little bit of everything. His athleticism is just out of this world. It’s so easy to just lob it up to him, throw it up to him up there, and he finishes everything.”

​With McCallum, Muhammad, and Alex Leiba, Larson Ford brings an imposing forward trio that few can match when they’re all in attendance. Add in the dynamic play of point guard Zayier Dean (Red Bank/Northern Oklahoma College) and another tall scoring threat in forward Malik Wineglass, .and the JSBL’s oldest franchise has begun taking steps toward reclaiming its place among the league’s elite. Larson Ford’s 10 franchise championships are the most in league history.

​Guard Corey Floyd Jr. (Roselle Catholic/Providence) is likely to return as well, after two 20-point performances, giving Larson Ford another go-to scorer when they need a bucket badly.

​“I feel like we can compete and play with anybody, as long as we just go out there, play how we want to play, find our game,” McCallum said. “I feel like we can do a little bit of everything. We’ve got a lot of talent, a lot of potential.”

​With only six players at their disposal, Sea View Jeep’s offense simply didn’t generate enough good looks to stay in the game. Justin Robinson battled a tough shooting night (12-for-36 from the floor, 1-for-15 from three), and the rest of the team was unable to pick up the slack. CJ Ruoff (Red Bank Catholic/Catholic Univ.) continued his hot-shooting start to the season with 20 points on 7-for-14 shooting, and Jesse Steele – the league’s longest-tenured player – kept Sea View Jeep in the game with strong perimeter play of his own, but Larson Ford overpowered the opposition and ran away with the game in the third quarter.

​The JSBL features exceptional depth this year, and Larson Ford has begun to put it together to put themselves right in the thick of it.

​“We were staying aggressive early on, and then we finally got our stuff together defensively,” McCallum said.

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County Line Auto Body overpowers OIB Ortho, extending its unbeaten streak to three

County Line Auto Body has never lost in franchise history.

The league’s newest franchise, in its debut season, stands atop the JSBL standings at 3-0 and is the only remaining unbeaten team.

On Wednesday, they put together a complete performance, taking down OIB Ortho – one of the league’s pleasant surprises early on – 105-79.

County Line Auto Body put up a suffocating defensive performance and shut down OIB Ortho’s motion-heavy offense, allowing fewer than 80 points with ten turnovers.

“Our identity is definitely on the defensive end,” former SMU center Markus Kennedy said. “With our size and Jachai in the passing lanes and Tread [Josh Treadwell] being a big point guard, we’re able to really close the gaps and close out on shots. That helps us get out to run. We get a lot of fast-break points.”

The team, comprised entirely of players from the 94×50 League, showcased their connectivity and chemistry with their marionette-like defensive movement and lightning-quick movement on offense.

Kennedy put up another strong performance with 18 points and 11 rebounds, taking full advantage of OIB Ortho’s lack of size in the frontcourt. Jachai Simmons (New Mexico/Plainfield) followed up a breakout second half last week with another highlight-reel night, finishing with a game-high 25 points on 11-for-17 shooting from the floor.

County Line Auto Body put the clamps down immediately, building a 33-11 lead by the end of the first quarter. It ballooned to 39-11 in the opening minutes of the second, with OIB Ortho’s rim appearing to have a lid on it, and from there, the victors cruised.

“That’s how I was taught to play the game,” Kennedy said. “Shoutout to all the coaches I played for — Larry Brown, Jay Wright and Kevin Boyle. It’s always been defense first, and any team I play for that’s what I preach. I take pride in being a defensive anchor. It’s not so much about blocking shots, but being in the right spots, communicating defensively, and keeping your teammates’ heads up.”

OIB Ortho never led and was never able to regain momentum after the opening avalanche. They shot just 38 percent from the floor – compared to County Line Auto Body’s 54 percent mark – and were led by 19 points from Dante Weise and 16 from Josh Michigan.

Much of County Line Auto Body played alongside each other on the 94×50 League champion Jersey Shore Breaks. But the rest of the roster had to face them, as Kennedy played for the league runner-up Capital Seahawks, while Quadir Welton (six points, five rebounds) and Wali Hepburn (14 points) played for the New York Phoenix (as did Larson Ford’s Wineglass).

“The beauty about basketball is when guys play with a certain mindset, you’re able to mesh together,” Kennedy said. “It doesn’t really matter the type of guys you put on the court, as long as the IQ is at a certain level and the guys are willing to share the camaraderie.”

With one championship already won this spring (at least for much of the roster), County Line Auto Body has staked its claim as a potential favorite for another trophy in the JSBL with a 3-0 start.