Local teams feature some of Shore’s top performers
Jackson, Lakewood hoops teams taking advantage of talent
JERRY WOLKOWITZ Jackson wrestling coach Scot Goodale gives some advice to Adam Berking during the Shore Conference Tournament final against Toms River East. The Jaguars returned to action on Tuesday when they hosted a semifinal match in the South Jersey Group IV tournament. With a win Tuesday, they would earn a trip to the sectional final.
Three of the top scorers in the Shore Conference play for the Lakewood High School boys’ basketball team. Jackson High School has a couple of the top rebounders. No wonder both schools own better than .500 overall records. Furthermore, Jackson and Lakewood have both qualified for the Shore Conference and state tournaments.
Lakewood junior sharpshooter J.R. Smith is the leading scorer in the Shore Conference with an average 25.1 points. The 6-foot-6 swingman leads the Shore in three-pointers with 65.
In addition, Smith is one of the better free-throw shooters. He has connected on nearly 75 percent of his foul shots.
"He is a pure shooter," Lakewood Coach John Richardson said. "He can light it up from the perimeter. He has also worked very hard on creating things for himself off the dribble."
With a 48-43 win over Monsignor Donovan, Toms River, last Friday, the Piners improved to 14-5 overall and 10-2 in the conference. Smith tallied 19 points in the victory.
Smith isn’t the only Piner capable of taking over a game. Seniors Adrian Edwards and Dyquan Randolph have shouldered their share of the scoring duties. Edwards is averaging 13.6 points per game, while Randolph, the team’s lead guard, averages 13.5.
Randolph is a terrific defender. He averages nearly three steals per game while always drawing the most difficult defensive assignment.
Jackson Coach Rob Goodall admitted his team needs to improve its rebounding; however, it owns a record of 10-9 overall and 6-6 in the conference, and boasts a couple of the top rebounders in the area.
Sophomore Kenny Simms grabs an average of 10 boards a game. At 6-foot-5, Simms is strong and quick to the ball, Goodall said. Justin Fields stands 6-foot-4 and is averaging nearly eight rebounds per contest.
"As a team, we need to do a better job of rebounding the ball," Goodall said. "These two guys have done a bulk of the work for us on the glass. They’re just going to keep getting better and better."
Fields is the team’s top scorer at 12 points a game. Fields has connected on 70 percent of his free throws.
Ryan Moglia is one of the top point guards in the Shore Conference. Despite battling a leg injury for a large part of the season, he is among the leaders in the in a couple of categories. He dishes out an average of six assists per game despite seeing limited minutes, and he is among the leaders in steals with nearly three per game.
"He is a big key for us," Goodall said. "He fulfills many different roles out there for us."
For the girls, Jackson juniors Jenn Murray and Danielle Gressey are among the scoring leaders in the conference.
Murray leads the Lady Jags, who improved to 13-7 overall and 7-7 in the conference with a 51-49 victory over Toms River East last Friday night, scoring with an 11.5 average. She is also among the best free-throw shooters, connecting on 49 of 63 for an average of 77.8.
Gressey, meanwhile, averages 10.5 points per game. Gressey is one of the top rebounders with an average of 7.5 per game.
Lakewood’s Shakeema Martin is among the leaders in two categories. Martin averages 10.2 points per game and grabs nearly 12 rebounds.
"She has been terrific all year," said Lakewood coach Dennis Adams, whose team fell to 12-8 overall with a 51-41 loss to Monsignor Donovan last Friday night. "She is one of the reasons we’re having a successful year."
Jackson senior Casey Bartolf averages 7.6 boards and 3.3 steals per game to rate among the top in the conference.