Boys Basketball – Photo Gallery: Long Branch 48, Red Bank 47

LITTLE SILVER - The Long Branch boys basketball team finished tied for last place in the Shore Conference Class B North division during 2014-15. After pulling out another divisional win on Tuesday, the Green Wave are looking more and more like the second B North team in as many years to climb from worst to first.

Senior Anthony Velazquez scored a team-high 21 points Long Branch survived a trip to Red Bank by holding off the Bucs, 48-47, and remaining unbeaten in B North play.

Last year, Wall won its first Class B North title in nearly four decades one year after finishing last place in the division. Through Tuesday's action, Long Branch sits atop the B North standings with a perfect 5-0 mark, one game ahead of Colts Neck.

COMPLETE PHOTO GALLERY BY ROB SAMUELS

Long Branch held a seven-point lead with three minutes left, but Red Bank chopped its deficit to two on a basket by Ben Sprauer as he was fouled.

After the Green Wave missed an opportunity to put the game away on the free-throw line, Red Bank junior Connor McCloone earned a trip to the line with 1.9 seconds left and his team down 48-46. McCloone made one, but could not convert both as the Green Wave exhaled and left the fieldhouse at Red Bank Regional still perfect in divisional play.

Senior Jamar Foster chipped in nine points for Long Branch while Senior Sadiq Palmer led Red Bank with a game-high 24 points. Palmer is now 12 points away from the 1,000-point mark for his career.