BY MIKE WHITE
Staff Writer
LAKEWOOD — A youthful township high school boys basketball team realized it had its hands full taking on undefeated Monsignor Donovan Monday night.
Mon Don entered Shore Conference B South matchup with a perfect 15-0 mark. The Piners hung around for a while, but Donovan’s defense and balanced scoring attack proved too much as it posted a resounding 51-34 victory.
“We’re a young team that is only going to get better,” Lakewood High School (LHS) John Richardson said. “We have a number of talented players in this program, but we’re still a little inexperienced against teams that have a lot of upperclassmen in the lineup.”
LHS trailed 11-8 after one period. However, Mon Don outscored the Piners by an 18-8 margin in the second quarter and took a 29-16 cushion into halftime.
Lakewood continues to get stellar play from its underclassmen. Sophomores Kyle Flannery and Chris Jordan paced the Piners’ offensive attack. Flannery netted 12, while Jordan tossed in 10 as Lakewood fell to 6-8 overall.
“Both of those guys are full of potential,” Richardson said.
“This is a good situation for them this year because they are getting a lot of playing time. That is only going to help them and our program in the future.”
Jax boys fall
Despite darting out to an eight-point lead after one quarter, the Jackson High School boys basketball team couldn’t hold on against Toms River East (TRE), which rallied for a 69-57 triumph Monday night in a Class A South battle.
Jackson led 14-6 after eight minutes, but TRE netted 48 points in the next two periods to take a 54-43 lead with eight minutes remaining.
Kyle Kelly led Jackson with 12 points. Corey Weissman added 11, including three treys, as the Jaguars fell to 5-10 overall.
Jax girls win
Jackson’s defense held Toms River East to single digits in three quarters en route to a lopsided 47-33 win Monday night in a Class A South game.
Justine Stevenson paced the Lady Jaguars with 16 points, while teammate Danielle Mickiewicz added 10 as Jackson improved to 31-2 overall.
Winston, Carney win matches
Jackson High school wrestlers Scott Winston and Ken Carney both were winners at last weekend’s Coaches Invitational Wrestling Meet at Brick Memorial High School.
Winston held on to defeat Southern Regional’s Frank Molinaro 5-3 at 145 pounds. Molinaro moved up a weight class to take on the Jaguars’ star.
Carney was a 5-2 winner over Justin Bonitatis of Cherry Hill East at 160 pounds.
Jackson was given the top seed for the Shore Conference Tournament, which got underway last night. The Jaguars faced Manchester in the first round, with the winner taking on either CBA or Raritan in the second round.
The SCT is a 16-team field that began last night with double-headers at the sites of the top four seeds. The four surviving teams advance to the semifinals and final on Saturday at Southern Regional High School. The semifinals are scheduled for 3 p.m., with the finals to follow at 5:30 p.m.