Boys Basketball – SSN Army Strong Team of the Week: Manasquan
The Manasquan and Rumson-Fair Haven boys basketball teams have developed one of the Shore Conference's best rivalries over the past four years as members of the Class A Central division, but during those handful of seasons, the two never met in a postseason setting.
When they finally did Sunday at Brookdale Community College in the Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinals, they produced a game to remember.
Manasquan beat Rumson 80-77 in triple overtime Sunday, dethroning the defending Shore Conference Tournament champion while advancing to the conference semifinals for the third time in five years - all worthy of this week's Shore Sports Network Army Strong Team of the Week honors.
In the three-overtime classic, senior Jack Sheehan scored 35 points, nearly matching reigning Player of the Year Brendan Barry (36) and throwing the team on his back during the final minutes of regulation as well as the second overtime. Sheehan converted two momentous three-point plays to help Manasquan pull even late in regulation and hit a game-tying 19-footer with a hand in his face with six seconds in the second overtime.
Senior Ryan Jensen contributed 20 points and 27 rebounds and also hit two game-tying free throws with 2.2 seconds left in regulation that sent the game to overtime. Junior Brian Paturzo also stepped up for Manasquan with all six of his points in the third overtim, including the go-ahead drive that put the Warriors ahead 79-77.
Manasquan also beat Southern Regional earlier in the week to reach the SCT quarterfinals for the fifth straight year and seventh time in eight years. In that game, Jensen recorded his 1,000th career rebound to go with the 1,000-plus points he has scored.
The Warriors (21-3) fell to Christian Brothers Academy, 53-41, in the SCT semifinals on Tuesday and will be the No. 2 seed in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group II sectional playoffs, which they won last year.
Past Army Strong Teams of the Week
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