The Rumson-Fair Haven (RFH) girls basketball team was hoping for a signature victory on Friday night when it hosted St. John Vianney (SJV) in a Shore Conference Class A Central match-up with championship ramifications.
Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School’s Ellie Wilbur tries to drive past St. John Vianney guard Jackie Kates during Friday night’s A Central Division tilt in Rumson. Visiting SJV prevailed, 42-32. More photos at gmnews.com. ERIC SUCAR staff Head coach George Sourlis knew that if his team was to knock off the third-ranked Lancers and share the division title with them, they were going to have to play their game, which usually means creating a low-scoring, methodical pace. And through three quarters, the host Bulldogs were exactly where they needed to be — down 24-23, and in the midst of a defensive struggle.
However, SJV’s junior point guard Jackie Kates was the difference down the stretch, scoring 13 of her game-high 16 points in the fourth quarter to will her team to a hard-fought victory. The Bulldogs, who had held the streaky Lancers to just four for 26 shooting in the first half, simply couldn’t slow Kates in the final quarter, losing 42-32 to fall to 15-5 on the year.
Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School’s Victoria Lesko goes up for a shot during Friday night’s A Central Division game with St. John Vianney in Rumson. The visiting Lancers beat the Bulldogs, 42-32. ERIC SUCAR staff For the Lancers, it marked their 36th straight Class A Central win, and their fourth consecutive division title (third straight outright title).
For the Bulldogs, it was a disappointing loss in a game that they undoubtedly must feel like they could have won.
Still, the Bulldogs had the consolation of winning the A Central public school title even though they didn’t catch the Lancers.
Now that the divisional race is complete, RFH will prepare for the upcoming postseason. The Bulldogs will be playing for a high seed in both the upcoming NJSIAA Central Jersey Group II tournament and the Shore Conference Tournament (SCT).
To qualify for the state tournament, teams needed to have a .500 mark at the end of Saturday’s play (which was wiped out by the weather). The NJSIAA sectional tournaments will be seeded this week in preparation for the start of play the first week in March.
As for the SCT, teams must have a .500 record through Feb. 13 to qualify, as that tournament will be seeded on Feb. 15.
Despite Friday’s loss to SJV, the Bulldogs will still be one of the higher seeds in the SCT, and will likely be the second seed in the section tournament, with Newark’s Malcolm X Shabazz getting the top seed. Shabazz is new to the section and represents the biggest threat to ending RFH’s 10-year run of sectional dominance. In fact, the two teams played earlier this year, with Shabazz getting the better of play from the outset. Should they meet again in the final, the Bulldogs will once again need to dictate the pace of the game, and they’ll need to do it for all four quarters.
The Red Bank Catholic girls are in a similar position. The Caseys got 22 points from Samantha Guastella on Friday to post a 51-40 win over Holmdel and improve to 12-6 on the year. RBC will be a dangerous team in both the SCT and the NJSIAA Non-Public South A tournament, where they always seem to meet up with rival SJV at some point.
The Shore Regional girls will also be looking to make some noise in the two postseason tournaments, as they boast a strong 10-6 record despite playing in one of the very best divisions (Class A Central) in the state. Having faced the likes of SJV, RBC and RFH two times apiece, this season will make the Blue Devils a battle-tested, hungry team once the CJ Group I tournament rolls around.
Both Ocean Township (8-11) and Red Bank Regional (7- 10) did not qualify for the state tournament, but still have an outside chance to earn a spot in the SCT. RBR has scheduled games with Freehold Borough and Middletown North this week, and Shore Regional on Monday, needing three wins to get back to the .500 mark.
Ocean Township, meanwhile, has games with Monmouth Regional and Shore Regional on the schedule this week, and could try to pick up a third game, if possible.
As for the local boys teams, Monmouth Regional (12-6) will be a tough out in both postseason tournaments. The same can be said of Rumson-Fair Haven’s boys, who improved to 11-6 with a 49-47 win over SJV on Friday when Jordan Iarussi hit a baseline jumper with .8 seconds on the clock (his only two points of the fourth quarter). Long Branch also played its way into both postseason tournaments on Friday with a 60-54 win over RBR, as Josh Wilson led the way with 17 points, while Karahn Morris added 14.
The loss dropped the Bucs to 8-8 on the season, making this an important week for them. RBR qualified for the CJ Group III tournament, but will need a good week to earn a SCT bid. The Bucs face Freehold Borough and Middletown North this week, with a match-up with Shore on Monday.
Ocean Township (8-9) needs a pair of wins this week to qualify for the Shore Conference Tournament, but has its work cut out for it with games against Monmouth
Long Banch top seed in wrestling
On the wrestling mats, a handful of local teams are in action this week in their respective sectional team tournaments. Fresh of their SCT win, the Long Branch Green Wave are the top seed in the CJ Group II tournament. As such, they were to host the winner of Monday’s Raritan- Northern Burlington match last night in the semifinals. With a win last night, the Wave will host the sectional championship tomorrow night.
Shore Regional earned the fifth seed in the CJ Group I tournament, and traveled to Bound Brook on Monday. The winner faced top seed Robbinsville in the semifinals last night.
Ocean Township got the third seed in the CJ Group III bracket, meaning a firstround match-up with Jackson Liberty on Monday, with the winner to face Brick Township last night.
Friday night’s sectional winners will be back in action on Saturday in the group quarterfinals and semifinals. The team state finals are scheduled for Sunday. And then it’s on to the individual state tournament, with the district tournaments slated for Feb. 19 and 20.