Led by Kenny Ryan, the Ocean Township boys bowling team won the NJSIAA Central Group II sectional on Monday and qualified for Friday’s Tournament of Champions at Carolier Lanes.
The Spartans finished with a final team score of 3,089. Ewing took second place with 3,051 pins and Matawan finished third with 2,753 pins.
Ryan finished with the third-highest tournament series with 709 pins. Dan Drum finished with a 653 series and McJo Massido finished with a 615.
Howell won the Central Group IV title. The Rebels finished with a team score of 3,072 pins. Old Bridge took second with 3,025 pins and Freehold Township finished in third place with 3,013 pins. Max Stalter finished with a 681 series for the Rebels.
Keansburg took home the Central Group I title finishing with a final team score of 2,847 pins. The Titans shot 973, 990, and 884 to edge Bishop Ahr by 50 pins.
Christian Brothers Academy also qualified for the TOC after taking second place in Central Group III. The Colts finished with a final team score of 3,124 pins, just 30 pins behind eventual winner Sayerville.
Jackson Memorial continued its dominant bowling by winning the South Group IV title with a final team score of 3,419. Don Kane shot the tournament-high game (280) and high series (769) for the Jaguars. Lenape took second place with 3,130 pins.
Jackson Liberty won the South Group III title with a final score of 2,697 pins. Brick also qualified for the TOC by finshing in second place with 2,908 pins.
Manchester also won the South Group II title by finishing with a final team score of 3,125. Travis Gionattasio had a team-high series of 694 and Shawn Wernoch finished with a 647 series for the Hawks.
IN GIRLS BASKETBALL:
RB CATHOLIC 48, ST. JOHN VIANNEY 44: In a potential preview of the Shore Conference Tournament final, Mary Kate Caverly went 8-for-10 from the foul line in the fourth quarter to cap her day with a game-high 16 points as the Caseys (20-1, 14-0), ranked No. 1 in the Asbury Park Press Top 10 and seeded No. 1 for the SCT, pulled away from the second-ranked and second-seeded Lancers (13-9, 10-4) in the Class A Central finale for both sides.
The second regular season installment of the Shore Conference’s most storied rivalry was moved from Friday to Monday, after Saturday’s SCT cutoff, thanks to the nor’easter that rolled through New Jersey on Friday.
For St. John Vianney, Lyndsay Rowe scored 10 of her 14 points in the second half, while Kelly Campbell tallied eight of her 14 points in the first half.
The Caseys and Lancers both received first-round byes when the SCT was seeded on Sunday morning. In Thursday’s round of 16, RBC will host the Jackson Liberty-Jackson Memorial winner, while St. John Vianney will host the Central-Matawan winner.
IN COLLEGE ANNOUNCEMENTS:
The following Long Branch athletes have made their college choices. Chris Pappayliou will sign with Wake Forrest University for track & field, Nick Pappayliou will sign with Davidson College for wrestling, and Jake George will sign with Cornell University for wrestling.
