Jackson Liberty High School’s Sheana Vega (No. 22) dribbles around a Raritan High School defender during the Jan. 12 non-division game played in Jackson. The Liberty Lions improved to 6-3 on the season with a 41-36 victory. R.D. BEALES Jackson Liberty High School’s boys basketball team, which made the Shore Conference Tournament for the first time and the NJSIAA tournament last season, moved back into the postseason picture last week, raising its record to 5-4.
The Liberty Lions also come into the week perched in second place in Shore Conference B South at 4-2, coming off a big divisional loss to Lakewood High School, 59-42, on Jan. 10 after winning three games in a row.
“The players are starting to get it,” coach Mark Lax said. “We started off slow and we’re looking to make a big run in the second half.”
Jackson Liberty is at a crossroads where it will need to pick up victories to keep its postseason hopes alive. The Liberty Lions played host to Monsignor Donovan High School on Jan. 15 before traveling to Brick Township High School on Jan. 17. They play host again the following day to Barnegat High School, a team Jackson Liberty beat, 56-44, early in the season. The team has yet to lose a home game and its loyal fans boisterously celebrated last season when their team knocked off Lakewood, the No. 1 ranked team in the state at the time, at home, 53-51, in a 15-8 season.
Junior forwards James Sofield and Dan Niblack, the lone returning starters, have been the top scorers on a team that has no seniors with significant varsity experience. Each average 15 points a game.
The other starters are seniors Roberto DelValle and Ryan Deboer, as well as junior Mike Healy.
Other players are seniors T.J. Savona and Jeremy Sousa, who is just out for the team this season. Alan DelValle, Roberto’s cousin, and J’Son Clark complete the rotation.
Their efforts have led a team that Lax said will continue to rely first on defense and rebounding to stay on the winning track.
“We’re a defensive, rebounding team that will focus on holding teams to one shot and pound it inside [on offense],” Lax said.
Along with the Lakewood rematch at home on Feb. 4, Jackson Liberty also has a rematch at home on Jan. 22 against Point Pleasant Boro High School, which handed the Liberty Lions their other division loss.
In other Jackson-area sports news, Jackson Memorial High School’s Brian Hamann (138 pounds), a two-time state fourth-place finisher, won his 100th wrestling bout, but the Jaguars saw an end to their unbeaten start at 9-0 when they dropped all three ends of a quadrangular on Jan. 12 in Jackson. Spencer Young (145 pounds), a three-time Region VI qualifier, also had a solid day in defeat.
Jackson Memorial lost to St. Peter’s Preparatory School, 36- 21, Delbarton School, 33-31, and a Shore Conference Class A match with Southern Regional High School, 27-24, when Hamann got his 100th victory. He is 20-2. Young is 15-4 and sophomore Fred Terranova is 15-5 at 106 pounds. Junior Ken Bradley is 16-3 at 195 pounds. Heavyweight Max Mondelo and 113-pounder Zack Baker each have 12 victories.
On Jan. 12, Jackson Liberty wrestlers beat Pinelands Regional High School, 61-15, but lost to Shawnee High School, 40-25, and Raritan High School, 54-18, to go to 4-3 in dual meets. Three wrestlers remain unbeaten — Nick Zak (13-0) at 182 pounds, T.J. Liquori (14-0) at 152 pounds and Mike Russo (13-0) at 106/113 pounds.
Jackson Memorial’s Mike Ormsby bowled the tournament high series (750) and high game (279) in the Winter Classic on Jan. 12 at Carolier Lanes in East Brunswick.
Jackson Liberty’s Nick Eckett cleared 13 feet 6 inches in the pole vault for Group III gold medal honors at the NJSIAA groups relays on Jan. 12 at the John Bennett Indoor Athletic Complex in Toms River.