Shore Conference Tournament boys basketball: Manasquan wins title, topping Ranney, 61-46

WEST LONG BRANCH – For the third time in four seasons, Manasquan has reached the pinnacle of Jersey Shore basketball. But the final ascent was anything but easy.

Heading into Sunday's Shore Conference Tournament final, Manasquan was faced with beating a Ranney team, riding a wave of momentum after an epic comeback victory in the semifinals, for a third time this season.

But the top seeds took the upstart 11th-seed's best shot, before emerging with 61-46 victory at Ocean First Bank Center.

Sophomore guard Darius Adams scored 26 points, while sophomore Griffin Linstra added 15 points and senior Jack Dettlinger finished with 11, as Manasquan (22-4) added to the SCT title it won in 2020, while avenging a loss to Ranney in the 2019 title game.

It was Manasquan’s fifth straight season playing for the Shore Conference title, playing in its fourth straight SCT final, as well as winning the unofficial Shore title during the pandemic-impacted 2021 season. They have now won 17 of their last 18 games, dating back to a loss to Roselle Catholic, considered the top team in New Jersey.

“Very happy for these guys,” Manasquan coach Andrew Bilodeau said. “They have done a lot. They’ve come this far and we’re proud of then and happy for them.”

Ranney falls to 16-10, with senior guard Isaac Hester leading the way with 17 points.

Second-half surge

After upsetting second-seeded St. Rose with dramatic comeback after being down 13 with 1:56 to play, Ranney was within 50-44 in the fourth quarter. But junior point guard Ryan Frauenheim calmly drained a 3-pointer in transition with 2:07 left to give Manasquan a 53-44 lead. It was the beginning of the end, with Manasquan eventually closing the game with an 11-2 run.

“I would just say our defense," noted Adams of the focus coming out of halftime. "We tried to stay locked in, running in transition, getting rebounds. Rebounding was one of our main focuses at halftime. Just get every rebound, get every 50-50 ball and play our game."

It was Ranney’s third appearance in the SCT finals, having won back-to-back crowns beginning 2018, before beating Manasquan in the 2019 title game. Ranney coach Tahj Holden won the SCT as a player in 1999 with Red Bank, and won a national Championship with Maryland in 2002.

The Panthers were looking to become the highest seed to win the title since Rumson-Fair Haven won it as a No. 11 seed in 2015.

Hester and Patrick School transfer Jahil Bethea, who sat out the first 30 days of the season, gave Manasquan all it could handle early on. As the second quarter unfolded, the Panthers overcame a 11-9 deficit, building a 19-14 advantage, thanks in large part to a pair of arching 3-pointers by freshman guard Shaan Nayar.

But Manasquan stormed back, with an Adams 3-pointer followed by a tip in from Linstra and a 3-point play by Dettlinger giving them a 22-19 halftime lead.

"Pretty impressive"

Holding a 31-29 lead, Manasquan got a 3-pointer by Dettlinger, and after a defensive stop but a 3-pointer from Adams in transition less than 20 seconds later to push their advantage to 37-29. Then Adams delivered a long, backbreaking triple with two minutes left in the quarter to make the score 40-29.

“I guess tonight he did some things that we pretty impressive,” Bilodeau said. “I thought he got to the rim pretty well. And got himself on the foul line. We have emphasized that a bunch.

“I thought the ball moved and the does a great job moving for the ball. Every time we’ve played them it’s been somebody else, I think the first two times we played them Ryan went for 29 and 33. We just move the ball until it finds somebody open.”

Manasquan now sets its sights on what would be a fifth straight NJSIAA sectional championship when Central Group 2 play begins later this week.

PREGAME

Shore Conference Tournament basketball 2023: Manasquan vs. Ranney title game analysis, prediction

When they toss the ball skyward at Ocean First Bank Center in West Long Branch Sunday afternoon, two teams comfortable in the rarified air of a championship weekend will be playing for the Shore Conference title.

While they took different routes to this season’s final, no two programs have done more in recent years to elevate Jersey Shore basketball than top-seeded Manasquan and No. 11 Ranney.

Ranney won back-to-back titles, beating two-time defending champion Mater Dei Prep in 2018 and Manasquan in 2019. Manasquan came back the next year and beat Toms River North in the championship game, was the top area team in the pandemic-shortened 2021 season and lost to Marlboro in last year’s final.

So there are plenty of compelling storylines heading into the 84th Shore Conference Tournament championship game, with tipoff set for 2 p.m.  The girls championship between St. John Vianney and Red Bank Catholic has a 12 p.m. start.

Over the past five seasons, Manasquan has a 118-15 record, including a 31-1 mark before the pandemic shut the season down during the NJSIAA tournament, and a 12-0 record and mythical Shore Conference title during the shortened 2021 season.

Now, having won four straight NJSIAA sectional titles, including a Central Group 3 crown last year after three straight Group 2 wins, Manasquan looks to add another piece of hardware to its ever-growing collection, while pushing the program’s legacy forward.

“Good players. Good players,” repeated Manasquan coach Andrew Bilodeau “If you win, not one game, but if you win to some degree, it’s very simple: You have talent. People, even in my profession, don’t understand that sometimes. It is 1,000 percent about the kids. So we win because we have very good players that come from great families. Period. That’s why we’re successful.”

More:Shore Conference Tournament boys' basketball 2023: No. 11 Ranney stuns No. 2 St. Rose in OT

Ranney’s rise this season has been a long time coming, with the Panthers now looking to become the highest seed to win the SCT since Rumson-Fair Haven did it as an 11-seed in 2015. In Tuesday’s semifinal, the Panthers trailed second-seeded St. Rose by 13 points with 1:53 to play before pulling off a stirring comeback, winning 77-73 in overtime.

Senior guard Isaac Hester, who scored 33 points against Toms River North in the quarterfinals, was joined midseason by Patrick School transfer Jahil Bethea, who scored 13 of his 29 points against St. Rose in the fourth quarter, including the game-tying score after a steal with three seconds left in regulation.

“They just have two very elusive guards that we have to lock in on defensively and make sure they don’t kill us,” said Ryan Frauenheim, Manasquan's junior point guard.

Since Bethea became eligible on Jan. 15, Ranney’s only losses have come against Manasquan and St. Rose, losing twice to each during the regular season before their breakthrough win.

“I think the last six or seven games, when we’ve had everybody eligible and healthy, we’ve been able to put the pieces together and keep building,” Ranney coach Tahj Holden said. “I told the guys it was going to be a slow build towards the end of the season, but if we’re playing our best basketball at the end of the season I’ll be happy.”

It all serves to underscore just how tough the C North division was this season, with St. Rose, which shared the title with Manasquan, Ranney and a 15-win Point Boro team all in the same six-team division.

Here’s all the info you’ll need on the 2023 SCT final:

No. 11 Ranney (16-9) vs. No. 1 Manasquan (21-4)

When: 2 p.m.

Where: Ocean First Bank Center, Monmouth University, West Long Branch.

Previous meetings: Manasquan swept the season series, winning 79-54 on Dec. 19, and 84-73 on Jan. 17.

How Manasquan got here: Beat Southern, 65-48, in Round of 16; Rumson-Fair Haven, 57-30, in quarterfinals; and Raritan, 68-42, in semifinals.

How Ranney got here: Beat Lacey, 85-59, in opening round; Jackson Memorial, 61-55 in Round of 16; Toms River North, 75-60 in quarterfinals; and St. Rose, 77-73 in OT, in semifinals.

What to look for: The game features a great matchup between the Manasquan backcourt of sophomore Darius Adams, who has offers from several high majors, including Rutgers and Seton Hall, and Ryan Frauenheim, their dynamic junior point guard, and Ranney's Isaac Hester, a senior averaging 23.7 points-per-game, and Jahil Bethea, averaging 21 ppg. since sitting out the first 30 days of the season per NJISAA transfer rules.

In Manasquan’s 84-73 win on Jan. 17, Adams had a double-double with 26 points and 12 rebounds. He’s averaging 22.7 ppg. in three SCT games.  For Ranney, Bethea, Hester and junior Drew Buck, who scored eight of his 18 points in overtime, combined to score 70 of their 77 points against St. Rose. Ranney hit seven 3-pointers in that game, but did the most damage driving to the basket.

Manasquan has won its three SCT games by an average of 23.3 points. The last time a Shore opponent was within single digits of them was back on Jan. 19, when they beat St. Rose, 41-37. They hit seven 3-pointers against Raritan, including three from Alex Konov, who has hit 40 on the season. Frauenheim leads the team with 50, while Adams has drained 45 triples.

Prediction: Manasquan 84, Ranney 81

Shore Conference Tournament Final History

2022: Marlboro 63, Manasquan 46

2021: Tournament canceled due to COVID-19

2020: Manasquan 74, Toms River North 49 

2019: Ranney School 70, Manasquan 60

2018: Ranney School 52, Mater Dei Prep 28

2017: Mater Dei Prep 54, Marlboro 41

2016: Mater Dei Prep 50, CBA 43

2015: Rumson-Fair Haven 50, CBA 24

2014: Point Beach 49, CBA 41

2013: Lakewood 39, Point Beach 33

2012: Neptune 37, Colts Neck 33

2011: Raritan 43, Rumson-Fair Haven 35

2010: CBA 60, Middletown South 44

2009: CBA 58, Neptune 49

2008: Neptune 67, Monsignor Donovan 52

2007: Freehold Township 55, CBA 49

2006: CBA 65 Monsignor Donovan 56

2005: CBA 57 Manasquan 41

2004: Raritan 60 Neptune 58

2003: CBA 44 Raritan 30

2002: Neptune 57 CBA 47

2001: CBA 56 Neptune 39

2000: CBA 60 Neptune 38

1999: Red Bank 44 CBA 43

1998: Neptune 55 Red Bank 48 (OT)

1997: Long Branch 44 CBA 42

1996: CBA 64 Toms River North 58

1995: CBA 58 Lakewood 57

1994: CBA 51 Long Branch 38

1993: CBA 60 Red Bank 52

1992: Red Bank 60 CBA 54

1991: Lakewood 86 Lacey 67

1990: CBA 42 Neptune 30

1989: Lakewood 79 Neptune 77 (OT)

1988: CBA 57 Lakewood 55

1987: CBA 58 Asbury Park 55

1986: Asbury Park 61 Lakewood 60

1985: CBA 70 Asbury Park 63

1984: CBA 58 Mater Dei 51

1983: Red Bank 61 CBA 58

1982: Toms River South 83 Neptune 80

1981: Neptune 59 Long Branch 28

1980: Neptune 72 Manasquan 45

1979: Middletown South 73 Red Bank 68

1978: Asbury Park 41 Long Branch 37

1977: Long Branch 65 Lakewood 49

1976: Neptune 59 Long Branch 54

1975: Lakewood 55 Neptune 45

1974: Lakewood 65 Wall 60

1973: Ocean 71 Neptune 63

1972: Neptune 80 Manasquan 66

1971: Ocean 65 Henry Hudson 56

1970: Long Branch 88 Neptune 67

1969: Henry Hudson 56 Long Branch 53

1968: Lakewood 61 Ocean 55

1967: Neptune 48 Lakewood 45

1966: Neptune 61 Lakewood 44

1965: Neptune 63 Lakewood 56

1964: Neptune 59 Matawan 53

1963: Neptune 66 Point Pleasant Beach 54

1962: Neptune 82 Keyport 58

1961: Neptune 69 Keyport 60

1960: Matawan 62 Manasquan 59

1959: Red Bank 68 Matawan 47

1958: Lakewood 59 Atlantic Highlands 57

1957: Manasquan 79 Red Bank 56

1956: Red Bank 55 Lakewood 51

1955: (Class A) Manasquan 76 Neptune 65

(Class B) Matawan 70 Point Pleasant Beach 56

1954: (Class A) Neptune 73 Manasquan 52

(Class B) Atlantic Highlands 62 Hoffman 59

1953: (Group II) Red Bank 60 Neptune 55

(Group I) Hoffman 53 Atlantic Highlands 41

1952: (Group II) Neptune 60 Manasquan 39

(Group I) Hoffman 56 Atlantic Highlands 53 (OT)

1951: Neptune 61 Hoffman 52

1950: Red Bank 56 Neptune 52

1949: Neptune 71 Atlantic Highlands 45

1948: Manasquan 58 Freehold 48

1947: Manasquan 57 Point Pleasant Beach 25

1946: Red Bank 34 Manasquan 27

1945: Manasquan 31 Red Bank 26

1944: Lakewood 40 Toms River 36

1943: Neptune 32 Manasquan 25

1942: Neptune 42 Manasquan 40

1941: Manasquan 35 Neptune 32 (OT)

1940: Hoffman 33 Manasquan 31

1939: Neptune 41 Manasquan 38

1938: Atlantic Highlands 28 Neptune 22

1937: Keyport 31 Atlantic Highlands 22

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Manasquan wins Shore Conference Tournament boys basketball title