Class A North

No. 3 Freehold Twp. 42, No. 6 Marlboro 41

Senior Steve Staklinski scored 15 points and the Patriots (19-1, 12-1) clamped down to beat the Mustangs (13-5, 10-3) and capture the outright Class A North championship for the third time in the last 10 years.

Staklinski sat nearly the entire second quarter with two fouls and Marlboro capitalized with a 14-1 run that extended to the first possession of the second quarter and put the Mustangs ahead, 23-13. With Staklinski, the team's leading scorer at 16.2 points per game, back on the floor, the Patriots responded with a 19-2 run that spanned most of the third quarter and the early part of the fourth.

Marlboro answered with a 7-0 run to tie the game at 32 before the Patriots put the game away in the final four minutes. Senior Ryan Zyskowski hit a pair of free throws to give Freehold Township a 34-32 lead with 3:29 left and senior Brian White drove the lane for a layup to push the lead to 36-32 on the next Patriots possession.

After Marlboro senior P.J. Ringel drove the lane for a floater that cut the deficit to 36-34, Freehold Township went 6-for-7 from the free-throw line before Marlboro scored another point, which didn't come until inside the 30-second mark.

Senior Bobby Weise added 10 points for Freehold Township, which also welcomed back sophomore Greg Billups on Tuesday. The 6-5 sophomore injured his ankle in the first meeting with Marlboro on Jan. 13 and had not played since. Zyskowski also had eight points, eight rebounds and three assists for the Patriots.

Ringel led Marlboro with a game-high 17 points as well as six rebounds and five steals. Sophomore Dylan Kaufman also added 13 points and seven rebounds for Marlboro.

Howell 83, Manalapan 70

Junior Nasiem Brantley scored a game-high 28 points with five three-pointers and the Rebels (6-13, 3-10) ran past the Braves (2-16, 0-13). Junior Eddie Morales added 20 points on four threes for Howell and sophomore Matt Ganter hit three triples while chipping in 14 points in the win.

Junior Matan Zucker led Manalapan with 27 points. Senior John Lugo also poured in 14 and sophomore Colby Howard added 10 in the loss.

Colts Neck 47, Freehold Boro 37

Junior Dan Gaines pumped in a game-high 19 points and the Cougars (11-7, 8-5) held off the Colonials (2-18, 2-11). Senior Brendan Clarke also chipped in 14 points for Colts Neck.

Junior Ashante Worthy led Freehold Boro with 14 points and three steals while sophomore Quincy Davis added nine points and 12 rebounds in the loss.

No. 8 CBA 52, No. 7 Neptune 36

Sophomore Josh Cohen dropped a game-high 20 points and the Colts (13-7, 8-5) blew open a close game to beat the Scarlet Fliers (12-8, 9-4). CBA and Neptune entered the fourth quarter tied at 27 before the Colts closed with a 25-9 run over the final eight minutes.

Sophomore Stephen Braunstein added eight points and senior brothers Chris and Matt Lautato each chipped in seven for CBA, which played its second straight game without sophomore point guard Liam Kennedy (ankle).

Junior Jared Kimbrough led Neptune with 13 points and 12 rebounds while senior Jules Calhoun added 11 in the loss.

 

Class A Central

Red Bank 57, Raritan 36

Junior Quran Molloy scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the Bucs (8-10, 6-5) handled the Rockets (6-14, 3-8) to keep their hopes of an SCT berth alive. Senior Nasir Williams also scored 14 points for Red Bank, while sophomore Rob LaVilla led Raritan with nine.

Holmdel 60, Matawan 40

Senior Mike Simuro scored 19 points and the Hornets (9-8, 7-4) rolled past the Huskies (11-9, 6-6) to clinch a spot in the Shore Conference Tournament. Junior Tim Zhou added 14 points and senior Nick Harris poured in 10 for Holmdel.

No. 4 Rumson-Fair Haven 72, Shore 40

Junior Teddy Sourlis led a balanced effort with 18 points and the Bulldogs (18-1, 11-0) coasted to a win over the Blue Devils (4-15, 2-9).

 

Class A South

Toms River East 50, Jackson Memorial 48

Junior Trevor Zabilowitz hit the game-winning three-pointer with five seconds left to left the Raiders (6-11, 3-10) to a road win over the Jaguars (8-9, 5-7). Zabilowitz finished with 18 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter.

Junior Zyaire Dorn added 12 points for Toms River East. Senior Nick Barba, meanwhile, led Jackson Memorial with 13 points and nine rebounds. Senior John Pitlak also had nine points and nine boards, while senior Ryan Lucas pitched in nine points, four rebounds and five assists for Jackson Memorial.

Southern 62, Brick 55 (2 OT)

Senior Mark Valeriani scored 20 points and the Rams (7-14, 4-9) emerged with a double-overtime win over the Green Dragons (13-6, 7-5) in a back-and-forth game. Valeriani also logged six rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Junior Jake DuBois added 16 points, seven rebounds and four steals while junior Thomas Foster pitched in 15 points and seven rebounds for Southern.

Sophomore Shane Williams led Brick with a game-high 28 points and senior Brandon Williams pitched in 11 in the loss.

Brick Memorial 32, Toms River South 29

Junior Vinny Hernandez scored 10 points and the Mustangs (7-12, 5-7) beat the Indians (5-12, 4-8) in a defensive struggle that saw the two teams combine for only 12 first-half points. Brick Memorial took an 8-4 lead into the halftime locker room.

Senior Denzel Washington led Toms River South with a game-high 11 points.

 

Class B North

Middletown North 70, Manasquan 63

Sophomore Rob Higgins scored 26 points, including a pair of key baskets in the final two minutes, to lift the Lions (12-8, 9-4) to a win over the Warriors (12-8, 9-4) and give them a chance to steal a share of the Class B North championship. Higgins also handed out six assists.

Senior Marc Cerbo added 14 points and seven rebounds, junior Sky Cherry posted 12 and seven, and junior Dave Campbell pitched in 11 points and eight boards for Middletown North.

Manasquan took a 40-33 lead into the second half before Middletown North went on a 19-2 run to jump in front. The Warriors then trailed 62-52 with five minutes left, but rallied within 64-63 after a driving layup by senior Devin Jensen with a little more than two minutes left. Higgins then hit a long two from the wing and drove for two more to stretch the Lions lead to 68-63.

Jensen scored 15 of his team-high 19 points in the first half and senior Seamus Hogan added 17 points. Senior Brian Paturzo also contributed 14 points for Manasquan.

Long Branch 47, Wall 41

Ocean 58, Monmouth 52

Junior Andrew Seager scored 20 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked three shots to lead the Spartans (13-7, 6-7) past the Falcons (4-16, 1-12). Senior Darius Brown added 13 points for Ocean.

Senior Jalen Gates led Monmouth with 16 points and senior Tyler Hawkins chipped in 13 in the loss.

Red Bank Catholic 57, Middletown South 51

Senior Terence Calandrillo scored 19 points and the Caseys (13-6, 10-3) held off the Eagles (7-14, 4-9) to clinch a share of the Class B North championship. One year after missing out on the Shore Conference Tournament, RBC can win the title outright by beating Long Branch in a game that is scheduled for Thursday, weather permitting.

Senior Mike Conley and freshman Charlie Gordinier added eight points apiece for Red Bank Catholic. Junior Dave Gervase led Middletown South with 14 points and junior Ryan Purcell added 11 in the loss.

 

Class B Central

No. 10 Point Beach 65, Henry Hudson 36

 

Class B South

Lakewood 56, Barnegat 43

Junior Dorian Vaughn scored 20 points and senior Adi Palmer poured in 18 as the Piners (14-7, 11-2) caught fire early to spark a win over the Bengals (13-8, 7-6).

Lakewood went 9-for-11 from three-point range in the first half and built its lead as high as 24 before taking a 34-17 advantage into the break. Vaughn and Palmer each hit four - all in the first half. Vaughn also grabbed six rebounds, while Palmer chipped in eight boards and three assists.

Junior Carson Francisco led Barnegat with 13 points and junior Mike Revello added 12 in the loss.

 

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