What Rylee Drahos' eruption could mean for Shore Regional girls basketball

WEST LONG BRANCH – In Shore’s magical run to its first state final in program history a season ago, the Blue Devils relied on a fairly simple strategy. Lean on star Rylee Drahos as much as possible and see what she can do. Drahos did quite a bit as she scored a career-high 40 points against South Hunterdon to lead Shore to its first sectional title since 2003.

This year’s been a little different. Drahos is back for her senior year, but she isn’t quite producing to the level she was last year, at least not yet. Part of that has been by design as some of last year’s youngsters haven taken a huge leap forward.

Thursday night marked the return of a more familiar Drahos performance. If Drahos is starting to hit her stride as her teammates continue to improve, the Blue Devils might find themselves back in the Group 1 final.

Scoring 12 of her game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter, including three go-ahead three-pointers, Drahos willed Shore to a 38-32 victory against previously undefeated Ocean Township. The win came off an upset at the hands of Monmouth on Tuesday.

“I think bouncing back from Tuesday was big for us,” Drahos said. “We weren’t going to let it define us for the season.”

Drahos' key plays

Drahos looked poised for an eruption after scoring nine points in the first half, but she was held scoreless in the third quarter. Her scoreless streak didn’t last much longer.

Ocean (10-1) started to pull away from Shore (9-2) in the fourth, but the Blue Devils went on an 8-0 run that was capped off by a Drahos three, giving them a 29-27 lead. The Spartans responded with a bucket, but so did Drahos as she nailed another shot from beyond the arc, making it a 32-31 lead.

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Then Drahos blew the doors off the gym. Ocean tied the game, but Drahos hit yet another three and this time, it put Shore up three points. The Blue Devils got a defensive stop, Drahos hit the front end of a one-and-one and then ripped the ball from an Ocean player on the ensuing possession and got fouled in the process. She hit two more free throws to ice the game.

Her best game of the year came at a time in which she’s admittedly struggling. A year after averaging 21.1 points, she’s down to 15.4 this season. Though the numbers are down, she’s still one of the best players in the Shore Conference.

“I haven’t been able to hit as many threes. I’m in a little rut,” Drahos said. “Same thing as Tuesday, I wasn’t going to let it define me.”

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While Shore head coach William Wishart is happy to see a more balanced team this season, he also is comforted knowing he still has a security blanket like Drahos who can absolutely own a game.

“She’s like Linus’ blanket from the Peanuts sometimes,” Wishart said. “When she’s on fire, it’s go time. She had a little pep in her step for this one.”

'I knew Rylee needed some help'

Drahos’ relative struggles came at a not-so-bad time for Shore. As her production has ticked down a smidge, the production of others has risen. The confidence she has in those players has soared from a year ago and has aided the senior as she makes her way through the peaks and valleys of the year.

“It’s definitely a little weight off my shoulders,” Drahos said. “Not that I didn’t have confidence in my teammates, but they’re hitting shots, and it makes me confident in them knowing they can hit them.”

One of those players is sophomore Reese Fiore. She looked promising and was a key player in the rotation last year, but she was still adjusting to the varsity game.

This year, she’s taken her game to new heights. While she only scored five points on Thursday, she’s led the Blue Devils in scoring this year, even over Drahos. She posted career-bests with 23 points and five three-pointers earlier this month against Raritan and is averaging 13.6 points.

“I knew I had to step up,” Fiore said. “I knew Rylee needed some help this year.”

“She’s matured one and off the court tremendously,” Wishart added about Fiore. “Every day she’s working harder and harder to get better. There’s certain people out there who tweet about certain kids all the time, and she feels that she’s just as good as those kids.”

Up next

Shore will have to take on a tough Manchester Township team that’s led by the state’s leading scorer, Devyn Quigley. That game is at Donovan Catholic’s Coaches vs. Cancer Showcase on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.

Ocean Township will look to rebound against Long Branch this Saturday at 11:30 a.m.

Danny LoGiudice has covered local sports across New Jersey since 2014. Contact him at dlogiudice@gannettnj.com or @danny_logiudice on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Shore Conference NJ girls basketball: Drahos lifts Shore past Ocean