Chris Masse on basketball: Shore’s foundation was built upon relentless effort | News, Sports, Jobs

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent
Jersey Shore’s Khan McCray (2) shoots around South Williamsport’s Bobby Regan (0) in the first quarter.

Entering Monday night’s showdown against Lewisburg, Jersey Shore coach Jon Boob had no idea how the game would play out.

But he could make one guarantee. He knew his team would empty their tanks pursuing victory.

That has been this team’s calling card the last two years. Good coaching, talent and depth have played vital roles in Jersey Shore roaring back to life, winning more games last year (13) than the three previous combined. While all those qualities are vital, the foundation has been built upon relentless effort.

That was the case again during Jersey Shore’s 2-0 start. A night after opening the season with a 75-34 win against CMVT, the Bulldogs erased a three-point second quarter deficit and defeated South Williamsport, 72-44. They and Lewisburg, both Class AAAA playoff teams a year ago, entered Monday’s game 2-0 with the result coming after press time.

“That’s the one thing about them: they always play hard. They never say no to anything,” Boob said after the South win. “They dive on every loose ball. They do things that, as a coach, you can’t teach. I’d love to take credit for it, but it’s just something those guys have that makes us a different team than a lot of teams. We just play so hard all of the time without me having to beg for it.”

Jersey Shore made an 11-win improvement a year ago, pushing eventual Class AAAA district champion Danville hard in the quarterfinals. The Bulldogs are eager to try and take another big step forward and displayed quite an arsenal against South.

Boob used nine players throughout the game and all nine made big impacts. The bench collected 17 points and 16 rebounds and reserve Khani McCray led the team in scoring through two games. Jersey Shore does not possess much height but their fundamentals and tenacity helped it out-rebound South, 34-17.

Jacob Lorson scored 19 points, Landon Lathan 12 and Tucker Hanna 11. That made it five Bulldogs who reached double figures in the first two games. No one really knows where the production will come from, but Jersey Shore has enough weapons that it understands it is coming from somewhere.

“We’re rotating our starters because we have so many I guess is the right answer. We’re deep,” Boob said. “A lot of guys are similar and have similar skill-sets, so we can interchange them without much of a drop-off at all.”

The Class AAAA field is a lot like Jersey Shore. It is strong, deep and well-rounded. The Bulldogs became the new kid on the block a year ago, but they are eager to prove they are setting up a consistent residence there. Time will tell how it plays out, but Jersey Shore certainly looks capable.

“That was a good start,” Boob said. “I know it’s early in the year, but I told them if we maintain what we did (against South) and have the same energy and output going into playoffs, we can compete with anyone in districts.”

LEARNING FAST

Williamsport entered Monday’s game at Shamokin 1-1 after winning in thrilling fashion against Carlisle before taking a lead into the fourth quarter of a 62-53 loss at defending District 2-4 Class 6A champion Hazleton. The Millionaires opened the year with only three players possessing significant varsity experience, but also are bursting with exciting potential.

Freshmen Mekhi Gaston and Saleem Overton are big reasons why. Both played a lot in those first two games and could see their roles increase as they settle in. Gaston scored eight points against Hazleton and Overton ran the floor like he was shot out of a cannon against Carlisle, dealing two quick assists during a big second quarter run.

Sophomore Tevin Williams understands well exactly what the freshmen are experiencing. He went through it last year and shined as the season progressed. He picked up where he left off, too, in the first two games, scoring 51 points.

Heed Williams’ advice and Gaston and Overton may also made rapid progress.

“I was telling them they’re not normal freshmen. They have the skills to be really good players and they’re going to have to work hard at practice,” Williams said. “They have to work hardest at practice and finish first in everything, and that’s going to really push them to the next level.”

SECOND GO-ROUND

Several Loyalsock players also can relate to the Williamsport players. Brecken Gusick and Braydon Cioffi started as freshmen a year ago, while all but two players were playing varsity basketball for the first time.

It was not an easy transition and Loyalsock finished 6-16. Still, those experiences made the players better and they continued progressing throughout the offseason. Early indications are the Lancers may make a big rebound this year, giving 4A contender Central Columbia a battle in a 56-52 opening road loss before defeating Wellsboro, 63-42.

Four players reached double figures in that game, Saoj Jones blocked eight shots and Cioffi drained six 3-pointers. Gusick was a rebound from a double-double and Jalil Coates added 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

“You know what to expect now. You know what the speed is like, what the strength is like. Hopefully the experience last year helped all of us,” Cioffi said. “It was a rough year but we’re hungry and we’re ready to bounce back and have a great year.”

PUTBACKS

Parker Bennett became the 17th player in Montgomery history to reach 1,000 career points, achieving that milestone last Saturday at the Kyle Lynn Tournament. Bennett also is one of just four Red Raiders to join the 1,000-point club in the 2000s, Steve Hamm, Cameron St. James and Logan Almeida being the others. Bennett scored 42 points in two tournament games … Sullivan County (2-0) made an impressive early-season statement, defeating MMI Prep and defending District 4 Class AAA champion Troy, 64-47 to capture its Mountain Madness Tournament championship. Colin King made 10 steals in the two wins, while Cayden Smithkors grabbed 17 rebounds. Tucker Blasi added seven steals … Muncy (2-1) took third, defeating MMI Prep, 45-40 in the consolation game. Jaxton Frantz scored 19 points and Dominic Guardini had 12 points and eight steals … Hughesville took third at the Shikellamy Tournament, defeating Northwest, 59-21 in the consolation game. Gavin Knarr had 12 points and Malachi Flowers shined off the bench, scoring 10 points with three steals while making all six shots from the field and line … Luke Kreger scored 38 points in two games at the Kyle Lynn Tournament, helping defending District 4 Class A champion North Penn-Liberty take third after defeating Montgomery and losing, 48-43 against Northeast Bradford … Five North Penn-Mansfield players scored at least eight points, and Jason Harer had a career-high 17, in a 61-47 win at St. John Neumann. Daiton Thompson scored 21 points for Neumann.

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Chris Masse may be reached at cmasse@sungazette.com. Follow him on Twitter at @docmasse.

DR. MASSE’S TOP 5 RANKINGS

1. Warrior Run (2-0): Ethan Balzer was part of a strong bench last year, but has worked his way into the starting lineup and showed how dangerous he can be while helping the Defenders three-peat as Milton Tournament champions. Balzer scored a career-high 25 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and added three steals in an 84-49 semifinal win against Central Mountain. Aiden McKee produced double-doubles in both games and James Keifer dished 11 assists in a 68-34 championship win against Columbia County Christian. Clayton Skokoski and Carter McCormick look like breakout candidates this season and they combined for 38 points in the victories.

2. Lewisburg (2-0): Balance was a word often stated by Lewisburg players during Heartland Conference Media Day. Once the games started, the Green Dragons turned words into actions, validating their thoughts with four players reaching double figures in quality wins against Shamokin and North Schuylkill. Lewisburg possesses a strong inside-outside game and Cooper Mowery drained five 3-pointers in the opener before Nazir Meredith scored 15 points inside at North Schuylkill. Sophomore LJ Tucker had 12 points and five steals in that victory, while freshman point guard Cortland Michaels dealt six assists.

3. Williamsport (1-1): Kason Ulmer closed the regular season strong a year ago at Loyalsock, nearly producing a double-double in just the fourth quarter and scoring 14 points. The 6-foot-6 center than worked hard throughout the summer and looks like a potential difference-maker this season. He certainly was against Carlisle, going for 13 points, eight rebounds and two steals.

4. Jersey Shore (2-0): McCray had a growth spurt during the offseason and now is 6-2. The added length combined with his speed is helping him become a defensive menace. McCray’s stifling defense played a huge role in Jersey Shore slowing South following a strong first quarter. He also opened his season with 16 points, five assists and three steals against CMVT.

5. Montoursville (1-1): All 12 players scored in a 74-17 third place win against Sayre at the Mifflinburg Tournament. The Warriors scored 136 points in two games and may have won the opener against host Mifflinburg instead of losing, 64-62, had it not been for a 30-5 difference at the foul line. Like the other teams on this list, Montoursville is capable of doing damage inside and outside. Center Kingston Fisher averaged 17 points in the two games, while guard Shea Ulmer scored 19 against Mifflinburg. Cam Cintron is a player to watch and had a career-high 10 points against Sayre.

Players of the Week

Lucas King, Sullivan County and Aiden McKee, Warrior Run: King earned Mountain Madness Tournament MVP honors, totaling 39 points and contributing in all facets. A night after scoring a career-high 26 points in the semifinals against MMI Prep, King dealt seven assists against Troy. This is not exactly breaking news, but Aiden McKee is good at basketball. The all-state center scored 33 points, grabbed 24 rebounds and blocked six shots at the Milton Tournament. Going back to last year, McKee has 24 double-doubles in his last 31 games.

Game of the Week

South Williamsport at Muncy: Tonight’s game is a rematch of two exciting contests that these long-time rivals played last year. The home team won each time, both rallying to do so. The Mounties forced overtime at the buzzer and won the most recent game, but finished a game behind Muncy in the Mid-Penn West Standings. It’s the league opener for both teams, but also not a stretch to say that this one could again play a big role in how the league race shapes up this season.