BY MIKE McDONALD
Staff Writer
The Red Bank Regional Bucs entered Tuesday night’s Central Jersey Group III final against Manasquan as confident as they have been all year.
After a hard-fought 42-40 win over Willingboro on Saturday, the Bucs were a win away from the sectional title that eluded them last year, when they lost to Franklin, 60-57, in the final.
But it’s been an unusual tournament thus far, to say the least.
In first-round action, Hopewell Valley High School was playing Lawrence High School when they decided to forfeit the game after a parent of the Hopewell team, John Molinelli Sr., collapsed during the game while taking photographs, and later died. Hopewell Valley High School led Lawrence High School 42-37 when he collapsed. His son, Jeff, is Hopewell Valley’s leading scorer and had 22 points when play was stopped. Play was suspended and it was later decided by Hopewell Valley that forfeiture was necessary.
Red Bank Regional then easily beat Lawrence High School 61-32 in their quarterfinal game, even though the Lawrence players played their hearts out trying to win both for their school and also for Hopewell Valley, with the thoughts of John Molinelli on everyone’s minds.
However, the Bucs’ defense was too much for Lawrence. From the start of the game, the Red Bank Regional players were quicker to the basketball, with Correy Haskins leading the way offensively with 17 points in the victory.
In the semifinal game against Willingboro, Red Bank squeaked out a 42-40 win, when a three-point attempt by Willingboro’s Dawan Browning fell just short as time expired. Once again it was Haskins leading the way with 14 points, while point guard Keyron Sheard added nine points and six assists, and Rahmir Cottman provided the defensive presence in the middle with six blocked shots.
Although the game was not pretty, it was a win that head coach Scott Martin will certainly take. Not every win will be decisive, and it is the ability to find a way to overcome your opponent’s surge that often wins tournament games.
Tuesday’s game against Manasquan presented a different kind of challenge for the Bucs, as the ‘Squan is not as athletic a team as Willingboro, but is one of the more disciplined teams in the state. The Bucs were sure to be tested once again, but were hoping that the lessons learned last year would be enough to get them over the hump this time around.
Rumson, Shore girls play with title; bragging rights at stake
When the Rumson-Fair Haven and Shore Regional girls basketball teams met on Tuesday, there was more than just a sectional title at stake.
This was to be a battle of familiarity, as the two teams feature players from neighboring communities that have been facing each other for years.
It had all the makings for a classic backyard battle, with a Central Jersey Group II title at stake.
The top-seeded Bulldogs seem to have overcome their disappointing early exit from the Shore Conference Tournament. After disposing of Burlington Township, 42-26, in their quarterfinal-round game, they came back to knock off A.L. Johnson on Friday to earn their trip to the finals.
Gately Golden led the way with 20 points, 14 rebounds and two steals to lead Rumson (22-3), who pulled away in the second quarter with a 13-0 run, and never looked back.
Meanwhile, the Blue Devils (18-6) knocked off Carteret, 61-57, in the quarterfinals, then came back to defeat Somerville, 44-39, in the semifinals.
Tory West scored 21 points to lead the Blue Devils over Somerville, while Lauren Woodie added 13.
The winner of Tuesday’s game will advance to the Group II semifinals, where they hope to earn a spot in the Group II finals, which are set for Sunday at the Ritacco Center on the campus of Toms River North.
The Monmouth Regional girls saw their hopes at a sectional title run come to an end on Saturday with a disappointing 45-37 loss to second-seeded Colts Neck. The Falcons kept the game close through three quarters, despite not playing their best ball, but were unable to keep up with the Cougars when they went on a run in the fourth quarter.
Kristen Dalton and Brittany Powell led the way in the loss with 11 points apiece for the Falcons, who finished the year at 17-7.