Braves Eliminated from Shore Conference Tournament

The Manalapan men's Shore Conference run incurred a 6'8" roadblock in the form of Raritan Rockets center Mike Aaman.  The junior proved too big to neutralize in leading his team to a 64-50 victory in Hazlet Thursday night.

The Class A Central champion Rockets charged to an early advantage shortly after tip off.  Raritan held a 9-3 edge when Mike Aaman threw down a drunk, sending the crowd into an uproar and causing Braves coach Rick Garretson to call a time out at the 3:55 mark.  Raritan ran the lead to ten before the close of the quarter.

The home crowd at Raritan High School consisted of a boisterous student section more than forty strong that made their presence known to the opposition.  The Braves coach felt his team endured the hostility.

"I don't think that had any effect.  We've been playing on and off in front of big crowds.  That doesn't bother our kids," Garretson said.

Opening the second quarter, Manalapan guard Nick Kreiger was fouled during a three point attempt.  Kreiger connected on two of three shots, bringing the Manalapan deficit back to single digits.  He would be fouled in the same fashion later in the quarter, again converting on two attempts.  But Raritan strengthened their hold on the game and claimed a 29-16 advantage at the half.

The Rockets padded the lead out of the break, pushing it to fifteen entering the fourth.  With 5:26 remaining, Manalapan' Anthony Firkser converted on a drive, drawing a foul and adding one more from the line.  On the Braves' next possession, the sophmore knocked down a three to bring Manalapan within ten. 

But the Braves were unable to get consistent stops at the other end.  Kyle Rubbinaccio brought the deficit to nine at 53-44 following a field goal and foul line conversion. Raritan countered with a play that epitomized Manalapan's woes.  Center Mike Aamon leaped above the opposition to tip in an errant Rockets shot, pushing the Manalapan deficit back into double digits where it would remain for the rest of the game.   

Raritan's big man led all players with 25 points on 11 of 16 shooting from the field while grabbing a game high 16 rebounds.  Senior point guard Kevin Furlong added 11 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds.  Tim Pazanie also notched 11 points, nailing 3 of 7 three point attempts.

Kyle Rubbinaccio scored 12 of his team high 18 points for Manalapan in the second half.  The senior was 7 of 17 from the field and had 8 rebounds to go along with 4 assists.  Anthony Firkser converted on 3 of 8 shots from beyond the arc on his way to 14 points.  Greg Baker and Nick Kreiger each scored 7 in the defeat.  Coach Rick Garretson said early jitters contributed to his team's initial struggles.

"I think we were a little tight when we first came out.  We didn't hit our first wide open looks.  They put a little pressure on us, and we didn't bounce back from there," stated Garretson.  "We have got to clean up a lot of things.  We played very sloppy at both ends of the floor.  We missed a lot of wide open opportunities that usually fall for us.  Defensively, we have to work a little harder if we want to get some wins in the state tournament.

The Braves will set their sights on the NJSIAA state tournament.  Manalapan earned the ninth seed in the Group IV Central and will travel to eighth seeded West Windsor North for a 7 P.M. game on February 28.  Despite the loss, coach Garretson feels confidant his team will rebound.

"They're good.  I think we match up well with them.  If we follow our game plan I think we'll be all right."