GSBR took a short ride up State Hwy 36 for a game between two teams playing for berths in the Shore Conference Tournament and State Playoffs. Keyport and Point Beach delivered an entertaining contest between two teams determined to build their post-season resumes.
Both teams came out with a full court press but it was Point Beach first out the gate as they started out with a 5-2 lead on baskets by Tyler Preston and Scot Crowley. Keyport answered with a 6 point run as Mike Nichols hit a long 3 and drove to the basket for a tough layup as Keyport led 10-9. The first quarter continued at a fast pace, with John Coakley hitting 2 tough inside shots for the Gulls. This was matched by Andrei Mathews and Dominico Dispenza, giving Keyport a 21-20 lead after a quarter.
The second quarter began with the teams trading buckets as both Coakley and Mathews each scored twice to make the score 27-25 in favor of Keyport. The remainder of the half belonged to 6’2 sophomore guard Jacob Edgecomb. He scored the last 15 points of the half with a pair of triples and several tough drives to the basket as the Garnet Gulls took a 40-27 lead into the lockers.
The third quarter consisted of both teams going on a few runs with Keyport cutting the lead to 42-34 midway through the quarter. Just as it looked like Keyport was back in the game, Point Beach turned up the defensive pressure and had 6 players score in the third quarter, giving the Gulls what looked like an insurmountable lead at 62-43 after three.
Insurmountable is never a word in the Keyport dictionary and you can never count out a team coached by Phil Recco...As such, Keyport stormed out of the gate in the fourth quarter as they scored 9 unanswered points in the first minute led by Mike Nichols with 7 as the lead was cut to a manageable 62-52. Beach composed themselves and Donny Cavanagh and George Breckenridge found the basket as Point beach went up 67-52 with four minutes remaining in the game.
Beach went into a spread offense and Keyport caused several turnovers as the Gulls tried to hold on. Ryan Burns hit a pair of shots, while Dispenza and Nichols each hit a three and two baskets to cut the lead to 71-68 as time ticked down towards zero. Late in the contest, after Point Beach broke the press and John Coakley was fouled, he confidently stepped up and hit two clutch free throws with under ten seconds left as Point Pleasant beach improved to 8-7 on the season with a tough 73-68 win against a game Keyport squad.
Point Beach was led by Edgecomb with 23 and Coakley added 18 points. Keyport had three scorers in double figures led by Nichols with 23 , Dispenza with 16 and Andrei Matthews with 15 as they fell to 5-8.
