Shore Conference Tournament Boys Basketball Final Four: See who's advancing to final

LITTLE SILVER - A year ago, everyone expected St. Rose to be in the Shore Conference Tournament championship game, before a stunning comeback by Ranney in the final two minutes of the semifinal ended the Purple Roses' run.

This time, they left no doubt.

Continuing their dominance of Shore Conference opponents, St. Rose stormed into title game by doubling up CBA, 76-38, in Wednesday night’s semifinals at Red Bank Regional. In improving to 24-2, the Purple Rose move within a win of their first title in the event.

“It’s a huge accomplishment for our program, for our school,” said St. Rose coach Bryan Lynch. “We had talked a lot about using the adversity that we faced last year. We had no problem accepting the failure and growing from it. I think these guys were a lot more locked in this game.  And even at halftime, knowing what happened last year, that it is never over.”

Having beaten CBA 73-46 last month, St. Rose’s lead swelled to 59-27 after three quarters, building on a 35-18 halftime cushion. The lead was 42 points in the fourth quarter when both teams emptied their benches.

Junior Evan Romano led the way with 22 points, while senior Gio Panzini had 19 and senior Matt Hodge finished with 15. St. Rose was without starting guard Bryan Ebeling, who was sidelined with the flu, although Lynch was hopeful he would be available for Sunday's final.

St. Rose’s only losses this season have come in the season opener against the Patrick School, and to Montverde (Fla.), ranked No. 1 in the USA TODAY Super 25, at the recent Metro Classic. In three SCT games, St. Rose has won by an average of 38 points.

St. Rose beat Manasquan, who won the second semifinal, by 19 points during the regular season.

It was Romano who took charge in the second quarter, scoring 12 points as the St. Rose lead grew.

"We’ve been really focused on defense, and all of my points today were in transition after we were getting stops," Romano said.

"We know we have guys who can get to the rim, but it’s our defense. If we can hold teams to nine points a quarter we’re going to win.”

Added Lynch: “Evan had an incredible offensive night tonight, but he is capable of that. If he was on one of these other teams he would be averaging 25-a-night."

CBA, the A North champions, got nine points from junior Justin Fuerbacher and eight from junior Kevin Pikiell.

(3) Manasquan 66, (8) Holmdel 43

Despite the offseason defection of one star and a summer knee injury to another, Manasquan remains the constant at the Shore Conference Tournament.

Manasquan, seeded third, advanced to the championship game for the fifth straight SCT, emerging with a 66-43 victory over upstart Holmdel, the eighth seed looking to advance to the final for the first time.

And it was a pair of key contributors from last year’s NJSIAA Group 2 championship winning team that did the damage for the defending SCT champs during a decisive third quarter rally.

Junior Griffin Linstra scored 11 points on a dizzying array of drives, while senior Alex Konov knocked down a pair of long 3-pointers, as Manasquan’s 29-28 halftime lead grew to 46-32 after three quarters. Linstra capped off the rally with a three-point play in the final seconds.

Linstra finished with 21 points, including 17 in the second half, while Konov added 11. In addition, freshman guard Rey Weinseimer finished with 13 points, and senior Jason Larned added 11.

“I think we just came together in the locker room, came together and started playing team basketball,” Linstra said. “That led to everyone else being more aggressive, having everyone’s back and me to have more open looks.

“We’re a very good second half team, so we just had each other’s back and started to play together.”

“I think (Linstra) is one of the best players at the Shore and he started playing like it in the second half,” Manasquan coach Andrew Bilodeau said. “The other guys were the beneficiaries of some opportunities because of Griff’s aggressiveness, so I thought it was a great third quarter. I thought we did a really nice job there.”

There was also a defensive shift that made the second-half rally possible, with senior Luke Roy moved to guard Holmdel senior Nick Seeloch, who had 15 first-half points, including the 1,000th of his career, in the opening minutes of the game. Seeloch finished with 21 points and did not score in the third quarter. Meanwhile, Larned shifted to take senior Ben Kipnis, who finished with six points.

“I thought Luke was really outstanding, as usual, and then Jason in the second half really helped keep Kipnis down,” Bilodeau said.

Now Manasquan faces a St. Rose team they lost to by 19-points last month, the closest any Shore Conference team has been to the Purple Roses this season, as they look for their fourth title in five seasons.

The decisive win comes after Big Blue barely survived a quarterfinal showdown with Toms River North, reversing an earlier decision against the Mariners with a 65-60 overtime win.

It appeared Manasquan would put the game away early, building a 21-11 lead on a drive by Konov. But the Hornets closed the half out on a 17-8 run to close within a point at halftime on a buzzer-beating jumper by Seeloch, who did not play during Manasquan's regular season win over Holmdel.

“Seeloch is a very good player – he hit a lot of shots - and in the second half we made an adjustment," Linstra said.

PREGAME

Shore Conference Boys Basketball Tournament Final Four: Previews, predictions

The Shore Conference Boys Basketball Tournament has reached the Final Four, with Wednesday's semifinals at Red Bank Regional ranking among the best nights of the local high school basketball season annually.

Defending champion Manasquan is looking for its fourth championship in the last five SCTs, CBA is looking for its first title since 2010, and St. Rose and Holmdel are looking for their first ever.

Here's a preview and prediction for each game. And check back later tonight for coverage of the SCT semifinals:

(1) St. Rose vs. (4) CBA, 6 p.m.

There’s no good blueprint for challenging St. Rose (23-2). Rumson tried to slow the tempo down in their quarterfinal showdown, but it’s tough to withstand the Purple Roses traps for extended periods without turning the ball over. And no one wants to get in a shootout with a team featuring so many weapons.

More: Higher seeds rule but one upset at Shore Conference Tournament boys basketball quarterfinals

What CBA has to do is shoot the ball well. The Colts jumped out to an early 9-4 lead on a trio of early 3-pointers in their meeting on Jan. 26. But St. Rose responded with a 23-0 run to take a 27-9 second quarter lead, en route to a 73-46 win. And not allowing St. Rose to go on one of those runs that blow the game wide open is the other key won’t be easy. In the quarterfinals against Rumson, it was a 13-0 first quarter run, and then another in the second quarter allowed them to pull away. And CBAs ability to knock down shots consistently will be the best way to avoid it. Senior guard Peter Noble hit five 3-pointers in the quarterfinals against Howell. At 6-5, junior forward Justin Fuerbacher is going to have to have a big game inside. CBA’s 6-6 sophomore Conor Andree had his sprained ankle in a boot on Saturday, and it he’s able to return it will certainly help.  And protecting the ball is a must, with sophomore point guard Charlie Marcouillier and junior guard Kevin Pikiell to have the ball in their hands a lot.

St. Rose won its first two SCT games by an average of 39 points, beating Freehold Borough by 48 points and Rumson by 26. Villanova-bound Matt Hodge, a 6-8 forward, is one of the state’s best players, and presents a matchup problem for everyone, even scoring 21 points, hitting four 3-pointers, against Montverde, No. 1 in the USA TODAY Super 25, at the recent Metro Classic, St. Rose’s only loss in its last 24 games. His sophomore brother, Jayden, a 6-5 guard, is another tough matchup, with the ability to get to the rim or stick a 3-pointer. Senior Gio Panzini, a 6-5 forward, had 16 points, including three 3-pointers, against Rumson, and 6-5 freshman Avery Lynch had 21 points, with three triples, in a Round-of-16 win over Freehold. As you can see, matchup problems throughout the lineup.

More: Vote for the Shore Conference Boys Basketball Player of the Week for Feb. 5-11

Prediction: St. Rose 85, CBA 50

(3) Manasquan vs. (8) Holmdel, 7:45 p.m.

Manasquan is in the semifinals for the six straight SCT, looking to reach the finals for a fifth straight time, while securing its fourth title during that time. And it’s that tradition and experience, with a number of players on last year’s SCT winning team that captured the NJSIAA Group 2 title playing key roles this season, that makes then dangerous.

No player has been more consistent than Manasquan’s 6-5 junior Griffin Linstra, who has scored in double-figures in every game, with 16 double-doubles, including 16 points and 10 rebounds in a quarterfinal win over Toms River North. He had 14 points, 12 rebounds and four assists in a 59-37 win over Holmdel on Dec. 18.  Senior Alex Konov’s 45 triples is tops for Big Blue, while freshman point guard Rey Weinseimer has been a steady presence. Senior guard Jason Larned is averaging 11 points in two SCT games.

Holmdel (19-2) has never been to an SCT final, but the Hornets only losses this season are against Manasquan and St. Rose. What Holmdel has is an experienced lineup featuring forwards James Vallillo (15.5 ppg.) and Ben Kipnis (11.8) and senior guard Nick Seeloch (15.3), who did not play in their regular season game with Manasquan. Combined with junior guard Daxx Corniero, the group combined to score 44 points in a 53-52 upset of second-seeded Central in the quarterfinals. If the Hornets can win the battle in the backcourt, they have a chance.

Prediction: Manasquan 65, Holmdel 57.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Shore NJ boys basketball: Shore Conference Tournament Final Four results