Boys Basketball – Nyisztor’s Late Three Lifts TR North Over Manchester
TOMS RIVER - Toms River North coach Rory Caswell believes his roster has more than 10 players on it who can hit a winning shot late in the game, and while that may be true, sophomore Mike Nyisztor is earning a reputation as the player to take that winning shot when the game is on the line.
Nyisztor knocked down a go-ahead 3-pointer with 38 seconds left to break a deadlock and lift Toms River North to a 63-58 win over defending WOBM Christmas Classic champion Manchester on Saturday at Pine Belt Arena. The sophomore swingman finished with a team-high 14 points to lead three Mariners players in double-figure scoring after lead the team with 16 points in an opening-round win over Middletown South.
“Getting time at the end of last year was great and we have really been able to build that chemistry over the last year or so,” Nyisztor said. “It really allowed me to get off to a good start this year and kind of pick up where we all left off when we were playing well at the end of the year.”
With the game tied at 55 and 1:13 remaining, the Mariners and Hawks combined to miss five consecutive free throws, all of which could have given the shooter’s team the lead. Following a missed front end of a one-and-one by Manchester junior Shavar Reynolds, Toms River North advanced the ball and called timeout. Out of the break, Nyisztor inbounded the ball from the left wing to senior Evan Martin, who gave it right back to Nyisztor. Spotting up near the left-corner Nyisztor released a shot with no hesitation and buried it for a three-point Toms River North lead, one the Mariners would not give up.
“We have Jordan Craig on the block and he draws a lot of attention down there, so in a tie game, we know teams are going to honor him as an option,” Caswell said. “That was a play where we let Nyisztor inbound the ball to try to get it right back to him for a good shot. His confidence has really grown over the course of the year and when he sees the space to get off a shot, he’s going to take it and like a lot of guys on this team, his teammates know he’s going to make it.”
Nyisztor also came up with a key block to momentarily preserve a two-point Toms River North lead, pinning a shot attempt by Manchester junior Israel Almestica against the glass. Hawks sophomore L.J. Robinson would later give Manchester a 55-54 lead on a three-pointer from the right wing before a free throw by Martin tied the game up at 55 with 1:40 left.
Martin and senior Ted Thelemaque each added 11 points for Toms River North, which faced the game’s largest deficit at seven points during the first quarter. Manchester jumped out to an 11-4 lead in the first quarter and once Toms River North pulled even at 11-11, neither team led by more than five points the rest of the way.
“We really do feel like anybody out there can beat you,” Nyisztor said. “We come at you with a lot of different looks and it challenges the other team to pick what they are going to attack and who they are going to stop.”
Reynolds and fellow junior Jordan Torney led Manchester with 14 points each, while Almestica and senior Robert Planter eache added 10 in the loss.
Toms River North and Manchester have now met in three tournament games over the past two seasons. Manchester beat the Mariners in the first round of last year’s WOBM Classic and Toms River North upset the Hawks in the first round of the Shore Conference Tournament later in the year. The Mariners made it two in a row over the Hawks in tournament games with Saturday’s win, which pit the last two WOBM Christmas Classic champions against one another.
“We have a pretty good rivalry going with those guys over the last year,” Martin said. “They are a really, really talented team and we knew we were in for a battle tonight because that’s just the way it’s been against them. We felt confident having beaten them at the end of last year and I think that carried over a little bit.”
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