SeaBreeze Ford Shore Conference Boys Basketball NJSIAA Scoreboard, Feb. 26

Shore Conference Boys Basketball Scoreboard

Sponsored by SeaBreeze Ford

Wednesday, Feb. 26

NJSIAA Tournament

First Round

Central Jersey Group III

(5) Hopewell Valley 57, (12) Neptune 35

Milan Desai scored 18 points and the Bulldogs (21-6) ambushed the Scarlet Fliers (14-10) with a big first quarter and never looked back in a round-one win. Hopewell Valley — which outscored Neptune, 19-5, in the first quarter — will travel to play No. 4 Colts Neck in the sectional semifinals on Saturday.

Junior Jordan Pierre led Neptune with 10 points.

(9) Freehold Boro 61, (8) Middletown North 44

Senior Brian Tassey led a balanced scoring effort with 15 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer late in the third quarter that ignited a 22-3 run by the Colonials (19-7) to close out the game, eliminate the Lions (17-9) and earn a spot in the sectional quarterfinals Saturday at top-seeded Red Bank. Saturday’s game will be a rematch of last year’s Central Jersey Group III championship game, won by Freehold Boro at Red Bank.

Tassey also pitched in seven rebounds and three assists, while senior Qua’Mir Everett provided 14 points and seven rebounds while coming off the bench. Junior Mike Cush also scored double-figures off the bench with 12 points.

Senior Aidan Hamlin-Woolfolk delivered nine points, seven rebounds and five assists for Freehold Boro as well. Tassey, Everett and Hamlin-Woolfolk each blocked a shot as well.

Tassey’s three from the right wing gave Freehold Boro a 42-41 lead with just under two minutes left in the third quarter of what was a back-and-forth game up until that point. Everett then led the fourth-quarter charge with eight of his 14 in the final eight minutes.

Junior Eddie Lopez and senior Colin Byrne combined for 34 of Middletown North’s 44 points. Lopez scored 12 of his game-high 18 points in the first half to lead while Byrne closed out his Lions career with 16 points.

(7) Lawrence 68, (10) Jackson Memorial 55

Junior George Boley scored 25 points, but Noah Johansen topped him with 29 to lead the Cardinals (21-7) to a win over the Jaguars (10-16) that propels them into Saturday’s sectional quarterfinals at No. 2 Burlington Township.

Junior Yaseer Johnson added 11 points and classmate Jimmy Pappalardo added nine for Jackson Memorial, which help Lawrence leading scorer Marvin McNeill (16.3 points per game prior to Wednesday) to three points.

Jackson Memorial fell victim to a pair of injuries, with freshman forward Mi’Aire Anderson leaving the game during the first quarter and senior Jonathan Peten departing with four minutes left and Jackson Memorial trailing by four points. Neither player returned to the game for Jackson Memorial, which has already been playing without two returning starters from last season due to injury — senior Brady Adams and junior Randy Holmes.

(4) Colts Neck 72, (14) Pemberton 49

Senior Lukas Sloan scored a game-high 27 points and the Cougars (15-9) routed the Hornets (8-19) to reach the sectional quarterfinals Saturday vs. No. 5 Hopewell Valley.

Sloan’s scoring outburst was his first 20-point game since Jan. 28. The senior hit the 20-point mark five times in the first 13 games of the season, then ran into a spell of injuries that slowed him over the past three weeks. Sloan scored fewer than 10 points in three straight games after scoring at least 12 in 14 of Colts Neck’s first 15 games, but has averaged 17.75 since Colts Neck was eliminated from the Shore Conference Tournament on Feb. 15.

Senior Jack Freid poured in 17 points and classmates Bryce Belcher and Dan Buoncore each added for Colts Neck.

(1) Red Bank 64, (16) Matawan 48

Senior Zayier Dean scored a game-high 20 points and the Bucs (22-4) held the Huskies (10-18) to two points in the third quarter to pull away with a first-round win. Red Bank advances to face No. 9 Freehold Boro, which won the 2024 Central Jersey Group III final at Red Bank.

Senior Ryan Fisher added 14 points and senior Ronald Richardson chipped in nine points for Red Bank, which clung to a 27-24 lead at halftime before an 11-2 run during the course of the third quarter helped the Bucs open up a double-digit lead heading to the fourth quarter.

Junior Ben Morales hit five three-pointers and scored 17 points to lead Matawan. Senior Amir Martinez and freshman Cayson Williams each contributed nine points and junior Colin Reitmann netted eight in the loss.

(2) Burlington Twp. 80, (15) Middletown South 46

Quayd Hendryx scored a game-high 24 points and the Falcons (25-3) coasted to a round-one win over the Eagles (11-16), setting them up with a sectional quarterfinal home game Saturday against No. 7 Lawrence.

Junior Matt Trimble scored 15 points and classmate Chris Mauriello added 14 to lead Middletown South.

(6) Ewing 71, (11) Brick Memorial 44

Joel Cineus scored a game-high 23 points and owned the paint with eight rebounds and seven blocked shots to power the Blue Devils (20-7) past the Mustangs (14-14) and into the sectional quarterfinals on Saturday.

Senior Joe Witter scored 15 points and junior Sean Collins added 14 to lead Brick Memorial.

 

Central Jersey Group I

(3) Point Beach 63, (14) South Hunterdon 34

Sophomore Tyler Preston led a balanced scoring attack that included five scorers in double-figures as the Garnet Gulls (19-7) handled the Eagles (13-14) to advance to Saturday’s sectional quarterfinals vs. No. 6 Henry Hudson.

Preston finished with 12 points, while junior Jacob Edgecomb, sophomore George Breckenridge and sophomore Danny Cavanaugh each added 11 for Point Beach. Senior Scot Crowley rounded out the list of double-figure scorers with 10 points.

(10) New Providence 66, (7) Keyport 58

Senior Nico Dispenza scored a game-high 29 points and reached the 1,000-point milestone for his career, but the Pioneers (9-17) spoiled his celebration by knocking off the Red Raiders (18-9) on the road.

Junior Kai Arrington added 18 points for Keyport, while T.J. Munn scored 27 points to lead New Providence, which will play No. 2 Middlesex Saturday in the sectional quarterfinals.

(4) Manville 60, (13) Shore 53

Senior Bryce Crowe scored 21 points while trying to extend his high-school career and that of his teammates, but Edryn Morales and the Mustangs (18-8) pulled out the win at home over the Blue Devils (16-11) to earn a sectional quarterfinal home game against No. 5 Dunellen.

Morales pumped in a game-high 32 points to lead Manville.

(6) Henry Hudson 63, (11) Florence 49

Junior Billy Quinn poured in a game-high 23 points and the Admirals (18-8) erased a seven-point halftime deficit with a dominant third-quarter, which was enough to turn back the Flashes (11-15) and earn a quarterfinal trip to No. 3 Point Beach on Saturday.

Senior Jack Fitzpatrick threw in 17 points for Henry Hudson, which outscored Florence, 19-5, in the third quarter to flip a seven-point halftime deficit into a seven-point lead heading to the fourth quarter. Senior Kevin Pharo also chipped in 10 points and sophomore JoJo Newell kicked in nine for the Admirals.

 

South Jersey Group III

(6) Winslow 71, (11) Pinelands 43

(1) Ocean City 54, (16) Toms River East 37

Freshman Brady Gillen scored a game-high 16 and the Raiders (11-16) hung within striking distance of the top-seeded Red Raiders (19-6) through three quarters, but Ocean City pulled away in the fourth to advance to the sectional quarterfinals Saturday vs. No. 8 Seneca.

Josh Lenko scored 15 points to lead Ocean City, which led, 25-19, at halftime and put the game out of reach with a 16-8 fourth quarter.

 

South Jersey Group I

(7) Woodstown 71, (10) New Egypt 52

Junior Nolan Arnold scored a game-high 22 points, but the Warriors (12-13) were no match for a balanced attack by the Wolverines (16-9) that led Woodstown to the sectional quarterfinals Saturday against No. 2 KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy.

Junior Clyde Ferris chipped in 16 points for New Egypt, while Rocco String led Woodstown with 18 points.

 

Regular Season

Non-Conference

No. 1 St. Rose 72, Bergen Catholic 68

Junior Jayden Hodge scored 17 points and the Purple Roses (20-7) rode a balanced attack to a win over the Crusaders (22-5) — ranked No. 1 in the latest NJ Advance Media statewide rankings.

Hodge led five St. Rose players in double-figure scoring and also chipped in six rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots. Senior Evan Romano pitched in 15 points and seven assists, while classmate Bryan Ebeling added 12 points, eight rebounds and three steals. Sophomore Avery Lynch tallied 11 points and four assists and freshman Izayah Cooper netted 10 points off the bench in the win.

St. Rose trailed, 55-49, with under a minute to go in the third quarter before Cooper hit a three-pointer to cut the deficit in half and Romano hit a 28-foot stepback three-pointer as time expired in the quarter. Romano’s shot from the top of the key tied the game and St. Rose did not trail again.