By Rich Chrampanis
MANASQUAN – The gym at Manasquan was electric with two passionate student sections, the stakes were as high as they come in Shore Conference basketball, and Rumson-Fair Haven had a score to settle. Two straight section final losses on that floor ended Rumson’s seasons in heartbreak, but 2026 was a different story in the Central Jersey Group 2 championship.
Behind a dominant 17-point, 13-rebound performance from 6-foot-9 senior Luke Cruz and a ferocious effort from every man in a Bulldog uniform, Rumson-Fair Haven dismantled Manasquan 47-33 to claim the program’s first section title in boys basketball since 2022 and deny the Warriors a remarkable seventh consecutive crown.
Manasquan was without head coach Andrew Bilodeau, who suffered a heart attack in the Warriors’ section semifinal win against Wall moments after the final buzzer sounded. Bilodeau was released from Jersey Shore Medical Center and is on the road to recovery but was not on the sidelines for the title game; assistant coach Ryan Ritchey handled the head coaching duties.
The Bulldogs opened with purpose. Cruz crashed the offensive glass immediately to establish inside dominance, and RFH raced out to a 6-0 lead before Manasquan could settle in.
The Warriors received an emotional boost when Ray Weinseimer made his season debut after recovering from a serious injury, drawing a standing ovation from both sides of the gym. Weinseimer made his moment count, drilling a 3-pointer that brought Manasquan within one at 6-5, his only basket of the night, but one that sent a surge of energy through the building.
RFH steadied itself. Cruz continued to impose his will, adding a strong rebound and igniting the break with a crisp outlet pass to Luke Lydon for a layup. Blake Ahmann added a loose-ball basket of his own. At the end of one quarter, Rumson led 16-8.
Cruz then showcased the full scope of his skill set in the second period – a powerful drive, followed by a smooth mid-range jumper off his own dribble that stretched the lead to 10. Casey Moore was a jack-of-all-trades contributor, finishing with 8 points, four rebounds and three assists.
Manasquan sophomore Kennedy Larned gave the home crowd a lift with a steal and layup, and Noah Matuch’s bucket cut the deficit to 22-19. But Weinseimer attempted a shot in the closing seconds that was emphatically rejected by Cruz – one of his four blocked shots – and RFH carried a 22-19 lead into the break.
Rumson came out with even more aggression after halftime and turned up their already high intensity a notch. Luke Lydon buried a 3-pointer that fired up the Bulldog bench and crowd alike. Manasquan’s Logan Cleveland – the Warriors’ best performer all night with 13 points – kept the game within reach through three quarters, but RFH’s lead stood at 32-25 heading into the fourth.
Then came the sequence that put the game away for good: Ahmann picked off a pass in front of the Dawg Pound and rose for a thunderous slam that brought the house down. On the very next possession, Lydon received the ball in transition and appeared to hang in mid-air before finishing an acrobatic layup that defied physics and reason. Just like that, Rumson led by 11 and there would be no fourth-quarter magic from the defending state champions.
“I think everyone knows we don’t have very good luck in this game, and coming in,” Lydon said.
But “we play amazing together. We love each other. We love spending time with each other.”
Cruz fought through injuries, including one to his eye that had him wearing goggles, but has been one of New Jersey’s most potent big men during the state playoffs. The numbers speak volumes, but his presence as a rim protector altered more than the four blocked shots in the stat book.
“I feel like I’m at the top of the world, man. It’s awesome,” Cruz said. “It means so much. There’s no better feeling in the world. I’ve worked so hard for this, the team’s worked so hard for this. We worked so hard and we deserve it.”
Head coach George Sourlis has been down this road before. With five state championships and 14 sectional titles as the Rumson-Fair Haven girls coach, his return to RFH to lead the boys program gives him section title 15 in his first season of this second chapter in Rumson.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to have a lot of great players in my career to win these games,” Sourlis said. “But I wanted them to experience what it means and they’ll have that bond for life. And that’s pretty much what I’m happy about.”
In the midst of the chaos of the post-game celebration, Sourlis turned his attention away from his jubilant team for just a moment and embraced Manasquan guard Sean Bilodeau in a sign of class and sportsmanship to console a son whose father was not on the sidelines.
“I told him he’s a great player and thank god his father’s okay and that’s more important than this game,” Sourlis said.
There were plenty of other hugs on the court as well as the Bulldogs savored the elusive title they just won. Ahmann was overcome with emotion, showing what this championship means to him and all of his teammates.
“I’ll never forget this,” Ahmann said. “We got a plaque and we got a ring to show for it. I’m just so happy. I’m going to be friends with these guys for the rest of my life. This is what life is made of. This is it, this is what I live for.”
The article originally appeared in the March 12 – 18, 2026 print edition of The Two River Times.
