With an 11-5 record, the Rumson-Fair Haven High School boys basketball team is heading into the Shore Conference and NJSIAA Central Group II tournaments with high expectations.
The Bulldogs entered the week with three regularseason games remaining: Monday at Matawan, this evening at Shore Regional, and Saturday at Red Bank Catholic.
Coach Chris Campeau’s team is coming off a solid 89-73 non-conference victory over Metuchen on Saturday. Four Rumson-Fair Haven players scored in double figures, with Jack Donnelly leading the way with 20 points, Jack Keating and Kevin Alter adding 18 points apiece, and Jack Wise chipping in another 11 points.
Alter and Donnelly each scored 14 points in their team’s prior win over Red Bank Regional on Feb. 2.
The Bulldogs have won four in a row, including successes against St. John Vianney and Long Branch. In Class B Central, the Bulldogs trail Raritan, which has won both meetings between the two teams this season.
“We’ve had balanced scoring throughout the season, but our defense has really been strong,” said Campeau, whose team had held opponents under the 50-point mark seven times this winter. “We try to play an up-tempo game to create turnovers and score on the transition.”
Donnelly, a 6-0 guard who transferred from Christian BrothersAcademy, has been the team’s top scorer, averaging nearly 16 points per game to lead the offense. On four occasions he has scored 20 or more points. He was superb, putting up 26 points, in Rumson’s 79-77 triple-overtime win over St. John Vianney.
Alter, who struggled with an abdominal injury earlier in the season, averages just a shade under 15 points and seems to be rounding into top form. He’s also the team’s top three-point shooter.
Keating, a 6-6 senior center who is in his first varsity campaign, and the 6-4 Wise are not far behind, averaging 12.4 and 10.6 points, respectively. Keating and Wise are also the team’s rebounding leader.
Lefty-shooting junior J.J. Conklin, a 6-4 guard, has also had several big offensive games for the Bulldogs, including 12 points in the triple OT win over St. John Vianney.
“With so many players who can score, it’s tough for other teams to play against us,” the coach said. “And our guys are very unselfish and move the ball around. This is a very close team. They’re like a family, and they work well together.”
Campeau is looking for his team to follow up the regular season with a strong showing in the Shore and CJ Group II tournaments. A year ago, the Bulldogs reached the semifinals of the CJ Group II tourney before falling to Shabazz.
“Right now we’re focused on finishing strong and taking that momentum into the tournaments,” Campeau said.