Shore Conference Tournament boys' basketball 2023: No. 11 Ranney stuns No. 2 St. Rose in OT
TOMS RIVER – It took a comeback for the ages to deny an historic moment in Tuesday’s first Shore Conference Tournament semifinal.
Because with second-seeded St. Rose poised to reach its first ever SCT championship game, Ranney came back from a 13-point deficit with less than two minutes to play, pulling off a stunning 77-73 upset in overtime.
It reversed a pair of losses to St. Rose in C North divisional play, as Patrick School transfer Jahil Bethea finished with 29 points, including a steal and score in the final seconds of regulation to tie the game, and Isaac Hester added 23, while Drew Buck scored eight of his 18 points in the extra session.
Ranney (16-9) advances to Sunday’s championship game against top-seeded Manasquan, which defeated fourth-seeded Raritan, 68-42, in the second semifinal.
“Just hard work and determination,” said Ranney coach Tahj Holden. “We talked about it before the game, we’re probably the only people in the building who believe we have an opportunity to win. We just had to compete to the final buzzer, hanging our heads down by 11 with 90 seconds to play.”
St. Rose (21-3) got 21 points from Matt Hodge and 18 from Gio Panzini, as the Purple Roses saw their seven-game winning streak ended.
Leading 48-41 after three quarters, St. Rose, which won 14 straight to open the season, extended its lead to 10 points on a score by Panzini with 5:41 remaining. The lead was as many as 13 points with 1:53 to play, before Ranney began its comeback.
Ranney cut it to 64-59 on a pair of free throws by Hester with 33.5 seconds. Panzini fouled out with 15.9 seconds left, sending Buck to the line, where he hit a pair of free throws to make it a one score game. Then freshman Tyler Cameron sank a free throw to make it a four-point lead, before Hester scored quickly at the other end to cut St. Rose’s lead to 65-63 with 6.3 seconds to play.
Bethea promptly stole the inbounds pass and scored with 3.4 seconds to play on a goaltending call, tying the game.
“We just need stops. We can’t give up," said Bethea, a Patrick School transfer who sat out the first 30 days of the season. "We talked about the fact, whether we’re down 20 or 30, We can’t give up."
In the extra session, Ranney continue to play smart and hit its free throws, with Buck sinking all four of his tries in the extra session.
Ranney will be looking for its first SCT title since winning back-to-back crowns in 2018-19 with a team led by Scottie Lewis and Bryan Antoine, becoming the only Shore team ever to win the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions in 2019.
"A lot of times when you have teams that were super successful in the past it’s hard to get back to that level," Holden said. "What’s important, and I think these guys understand, is we’re not the team of Scottie and Bryan. We’re our own Ranney team, and once we got past what we've done in the past and play for today, we got much better."
Ranney looks to become the highest seed to win the tournament since Rumson-Fair Haven did it as an 11-seed in 2015, beating CBA in the final.
No. 1 Manasquan 68, No. 4 Raritan 42
TOMS RIVER – Manasquan kept its streak of playing in ever Shore Conference Tournament final since 2019 alive in Tuesday night’s semifinals. And they’ll look for the third title during that time against a Ranney team that denied them in the 2019 final.
On the same court inside RWJ Barnabas Health Arena where 11th-seeded Ranney had just upset No. 2 St. Rose, considered its biggest challenger for the title, the top-seeds weren’t about to suffer the same fate.
Building a 23-point lead after three quarters, Manasquan rolled to a 68-42 victory over fourth-seeded Raritan.
Manasquan, which won the mythical Shore title in the pandemic-impacted 2020-21 season, improves to 21-4, while Raritan drops to 19-2.
“I thought our kids did a good job on the scouting report side, defensively did a fair job on a tough team to defend,” said Manasquan coach Andrew Bilodeau. “They are super well coached and prepared, and they made some things tough for us. But I thought we were able to get out in transition and get on the offensive glass a little bit.”
Leading the way was sophomore Darius Adams, who scored 13 of his 18 points in the first half, when Manasquan built a 39-21 halftime lead. Junior guard Ryan Frauenheim added 14 points, while Griffin Linstra finished with 10.
Raritan was paced by Michael Diller and Jack O’Leary, who scored 10 points apiece for the Rockets, who opened the season with 17 straight wins.
Manasquan has a pair of regular season wins over Ranney in C North divisional play. But so did St. Rose, with Ranney playing its best basketball of the season right now.
“They’re dynamic,” Bilodeau said of Ranney. “I think they’re physical and athletic and talented and can really score the ball and I think it is going to be a heck of a game.
“I didn’t think they were an 11-seed to begin with. They have three guys who can really score the ball and a very experienced staff, and that school has a history, and that is important.”
“They just have two very elusive guards (In Isaac Hester and Jahil Bethea) that we have to lock in on defense and make sure they don’t kill us,” added Frauenheim.
Pregame
Semifinal previews, predictions, plus SCT history
The local high school basketball season is in the homestretch, with the Shore Conference Tournament semifinals on tap for tonight at RWJBarnabas Health Arena in Toms River.
There are plenty of compelling storylines, with the Jersey Shore's Final Four including three of the top four seeds, with the outsider a Ranney team that looks as dangerous as anyone.
The prize is a spot in Sunday's SCT championship game (2 p.m.) at Monmouth University's OceanFirst Bank Center.
Here are previews and predictions for tonight's games. And check back right here for complete coverage of the SCT semifinals:
No. 11 Ranney (15-9) vs. No. 2 St. Rose (21-2)
Time: 6 p.m.
Previous meetings: St. Rose 61, Ranney 43, on Jan. 9; St. Rose 67, Ranney 53 on Jan. 26.
How Ranney got here: Beat Lacey, 85-59, in opening round; Won over Jackson Memorial, 61-55 in Round of 16; Topped Toms River North, 75-60 in quarterfinals.
How St. Rose got here: Beat Point Boro 70-28, in Round of 16; Beat CBA, 61-39, in quarterfinals.
What to look for: St. Rose ‘s only losses this season have been against top-seeded Manasquan and Roselle Catholic, the state’s top team, having won seven straight since. Junior forward Matt Hodge (6-8) will be working against a smaller Ranney lineup. He had a double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) in their first meeting, and 13 rebounds in the second. Freshman guard Jayden Hodge is averaging 13.7 ppg., while sophomore guards Evan Romano and Peter Mauro had 13 and 12 points, respectively, in the quarterfinals.
Ranney has three top-level scoring guards in senior Isaac Hester, who hit for 33 points in the quarters, senior Jahil Bethea, a Patrick School transfer, and sophomore Drew Buck, who scored 17 points against Toms River North. They’ve won seven straight since losing to St. Rose, with Manasquan and Rutgers Prep rounding out their last three losses. Ranney is looking to reach the SCT final for the first time since 2019, when the Panthers won the second of back-to-back titles.
Prediction: St. Rose 75, Ranney 70.
No. 4 Raritan (19-1) vs. No. 1 Manasquan (20-4)
Time: 7:45 p.m.
Previous meetings: None.
How Raritan got here: Beat Red Bank Catholic, 45-36, in Round of 16; Beat Central, 57-37, in quarters.
How Manasquan got here: Topped Southern, 65-48, in Round of 16; Beat Rumson-Fair Haven, 57-30, in quarters.
What to look for: Manasquan’s lone local loss this season was to St. Rose, with the others coming against Linden, Roselle Catholic and Union Catholic. Sophomore guard Darius Adams has stepped up his game, opening the SCT with a 30-point outburst, before scoring 19 in a comfortable quarterfinal win. He’s averaging 26.3 ppg. over the last six games. Everything runs through point guard Ryan Frauenheim, averaging 11.3 points and 4.9 assists, with a team-high 47 triples, while 6-7 junior Alex Konov has hit 40 threes. Sophomore Griffin Linstra is averaging 7.1 rebounds. Manasquan will try to play fast and turn the game into a track meet.
Raritan won 17 straight to open the season, before falling in a regular-season finale against Cedar Creek, with the 20-point win over Central ranking as one of their best efforts of the season. Senior Michael Diller led the way with a season-high 18 points, and six rebounds. Jack O’Leary has topped the senior-laden lineup, averaging 16.9 points. Senior Billy Tigar has a team-best 38 triples, averaging 10.1 points. The Rockets have a tight rotation, using just six players in their last game. The Rockets are looking for their first SCT title since winning it for the second time in 2011. Manasquan is trying to win its second SCT title since 2020, which was their first title since 1957.
Prediction: Manasquan 77, Raritan 60.
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: Shore Conference Tournament NJ boys' basketball 2023: Semifinal scores
