Keyport A s a work in progress over the past few years, the Keyport High School boys basketball team is showing some healthy signs of improvement in the 2012-13 season. Failing to post double-digit win totals the past three years or advance beyond the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group I quarterfinals, there is now a different outlook for the Red Raiders team, which is 12-5 overall and currently seeded third in the Shore Conference B Central Division at 8-5.
“This is a group of juniors and seniors that has been playing together and working for this year,” head coach Phil Recco said. “We lost one senior last year — a point guard. But for the most part, the majority of our team has come back and [has] really been looking forward to this year.”
The veteran team is showing the kind of positive results that it was not able to muster a year ago. Keyport went 6-17 last season with a 3-9 mark against division opponents. Recco, who is in his eighth season at the helm of the Red Raiders, believes there was something gained during those losses.
“Last year, we were close,” the coach said. “Every game came right down to the end and we lost several in overtime. We had to learn how to win.” That knowledge was put into practice in a Jan. 24 contest against Mater Dei High School. Down by three points with little time remaining on the clock, junior guard Kevin Walsh heaved up a half-court shot that connected to send the game in overtime. The Red Raiders went on to outscore the Seraphs 20-13 in the extra session to seal the victory, 61-54.
“This year, everything is coming together,” said Recco. “The same kids have been on varsity for three years and have the experience of playing together and being close in late-game situations.”
Keyport has not relied on half-court shots to win most of their games this season. In fact, they have distanced themselves quite a bit offensively in many of their victories, as witnessed by point totals of 70 or more in seven games, over 85 points in two contests, and a 94- point effort against South River High School on Jan. 14.
Scoring has been spread well across the team, but the most prominent player on the court for the Red Raiders has been junior guard Alex Thomson. In his third season, Thomson leads the team with 17 points per game. He has also averaged 7.4 rebounds per game and five assists, and contributed a total of 30 3-pointers over the course of the season.
Recco attributes Thomson’s size and the flexibility in his game as key reasons why he’s found such great success.
“It helps when you’re a 6-foot-4 guard,” he said. “He’s a tough matchup because he’s so tall. He can play outside, he can be put down on the block against smaller guards and he can move out to shoot threes. He’s versatile because of his size.
“He can handle the ball and is quick in terms of dribbling, so he creates matchup problems for whoever [the other team] puts on him” continued Recco, who also pointed out Thomson’s ability to create open space for his teammates, including his brother, Connor, down low, and Walsh, for 3-pointers.
Connor Thomson, a senior center, has made his mark on the defensive end by leading the team with 9.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game. He has also scored 14.2 points per game and notched over 600 points during his high-school career, which Recco considers “a great accomplishment for a post player because he doesn’t have the ball in his hands every possession.
The elder Thomson’s greatest contribution to the Red Raiders, however, is in his actions as the team’s captain.
“He’s been our leader,” Recco said. “He’s [also] the captain of the football team and everybody respects him. He keeps everybody in check and has really come a long way.”
The Thomson brothers are joined by Walsh in the starting rotation, which also includes senior forwards Connor Hubler (6.3 rebounds per game) and Tyler Alvarez. The Red Raiders boast some depth off their bench with seniors Greg Armstrong and Ljube Boskic, junior Ezra Hill and sophomore Anthony Fernandez.
Even with its vast improvement over previous seasons, Keyport’s season has not been without its struggles. The five losses on its record are all against division opponents, including two defeats at the hands of Keansburg High School. The second of those losses was a close 54-51 final on Jan. 28. Keyport squandered a 5-point lead in the final minute of the game.
“It was one of those tough losses,” Recco said, noting that the team would like to face Keansburg again in the state tournament.
The Red Raiders also fell twice against B Central’s second-place team, St. Rose High School (17-4 overall, 12-2 division), including the most recent loss on Feb. 4 by a 65-44 score. The other Keyport loss was a 74-52 final on Jan. 16 against Point Pleasant Beach High School (17-1 overall), which suffered its first loss of the season on Feb. 2 against Lakewood High School but still leads B Central with an undefeated 12-0 division record.
The Red Raiders will play the Garnet Gulls one more time at home before the end of the regular season, and Recco believes it will be a good test for his team heading into the tournaments. Following that game on Feb. 7, Keyport closes out the season with another home contest on Feb. 8 against South Amboy High School.
The Shore Conference Tournament, which Keyport last made in 2010, is scheduled to begin on Feb. 10 and the Red Raiders’ first game will be on Feb. 12. The state tournament begins on Feb. 26. Keyport’s last Central Jersey Group I championship came in 2004.
“We’ve been through so much,” Recco said. “We’re ready to make a run.”