Tag: Basketball

Luke Cruz’s senior season could have been defined by an eye injury that saw the RFH big man miss 11 games. When Cruz returned to the lineup in late January, he sported a pair of goggles that saw him embody the prowess of other famous spectacled hoopsters, like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and St. Louis University’s Robbie Avila.

OCEAN TOWNSHIP – Rumson-Fair Haven found itself down by 11 points at the midway point of the third quarter, staring at the end of its season. But 6-foot-9 senior Luke Cruz made sure the Bulldogs had more basketball to play.

MIDDLETOWN – Before the basketball season began, St. Mary’s substitute teacher Emily Ruane joked with the school’s athletic director about coaching, not knowing they actually needed one. 

For Xander Rice, his final college basketball season means more than just the game. Although it’s not uncommon for a Two River athlete to compete in their fifth year of eligibility at a New Jersey college, there is something special about West Long Branch native Alexander Rice coming home to play basketball for the Monmouth Hawks.

There’s a reason it’s called March Madness. While there’s bracketology, pundits with odds and the usual suspects in every NCAA Tournament, you never know when a team might come out of nowhere and get themselves into the field of 68.

Ranked inside the Top 10 of every national poll, the Saint John Vianney Lady Lancers haven’t faced too much adversity during their 27-0 season. That all changed when McDonald’s All-American Zoe Brooks arrived at Monmouth University for the Shore Conference Tournament championship on crutches with a protective boot on her right foot.

Six-foot-six athletic sophomores are usually household names in the world of high school basketball. Volodymyr “Vova” Trotsko soon will be, making an impact on the court for Colts Neck High School just four months after arriving in Monmouth County as a refugee from Ukraine.

Brookdale Community College was busy last weekend with back-to-back showcases featuring a number of teams from the Two River area. Here’s a breakdown from a full two days of basketball.

Not much has changed in 33 seasons at Red Bank Catholic. Joe Montano is still the fiery leader of the Caseys Girls Basketball team and still winning games. Following a 44-36 win over Scranton Prep last Saturday at home, Montano reached his 700th career win becoming just the sixth girls basketball coach in New Jersey history to reach the milestone.

The format was different, but the result was the same: For the second straight year, Red Bank Catholic girls basketball is a WOBM Christmas Classic champion following three wins in Toms River to close out 2022.