Central Jersey Group 2 Final: Manasquan vs. Holmdel Preview

<p>The Shore Conference has been a juggernaut this season. Teams have made big time runs in the state tournament all over the state and this bracket is no different. Top-seeded Manasquan will meet No. 2 Holmdel in the state championship game on Tuesday night.</p> <p>Manasquan is 30-1 on the season and has been one of the top ranked teams in New Jersey all season. They were able to gain control of the semi-final matchup against Bordentown using their dynamic offense. This has been said after every game, but sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="901942" first="Ben" last="Roy"] was the catalyst. He finished with a game-high 31 points and made big shot after big shot to avoid the upset. </p> <p>Holmdel entered the fourth quarter down by three to Lincoln. They used a 15-9 final period to advance to the final. Alex Baker stayed hot with 22 points and senior [player_tooltip player_id="929538" first="Jack" last="Giamanco"] scored 10 points. The Hornets will now get a fourth chance at taking down their Shore Conference foe.</p> <p>In early January, Manasquan dominated Holmdel 67-40 but the Hornets improved over time. Manasquan is 3-0 on the season against Holmdel but the final two decisions were by a combined 10 points. In the semi-final of the Shore Conference Tournament, Holmdel held a 36-28 lead over Manasquan heading into the fourth quarter. Roy and [player_tooltip player_id="850360" first="Alex" last="Galvan"] led Manasquan back and outscored Holmdel 16-4 in the fourth quarter to take home the win. They would go on to dominate Toms River North in the final.</p> <p>Manasquan has one loss this season and it came against Roselle Catholic at the buzzer. They have been a near perfect team and no one else has been able to figure them out. Holmdel came close. They are a well coached team that is going to have a strong game plan heading into this one. It is hard to beat a team four times in one season but sometimes talent takes over. Manasquan is full of elite talent and that could carry them to a state title.</p>