Questions arose regarding what would become of Manasquan this year when star prospect Darius Adams transferred to La Lumiere in Indiana and Ryan Frauenheim was injured long-term. There was a simple answer, because, well, Manasquan is now the Gold Standard of public school programs at the Jersey Shore--"good"--There is a more complex answer that will unfold as the season plays out related to "How Good?"
We got a glimpse into "How Good?" tonight as the Warriors overwhelmed Holmdel on both ends of the floor in a dominant 22 point victory.
The teams traded baskets in a helter-skelter opening quarter. Squan was paced early by a pair of Alex Konov triples. Holmdel got a pair of threes of their own from junior Daxx Corneiro. The lead continued to ping-pong until the break, with the host Warriors holding on to a 23-20 lead. Konov led Manasquan with 8 on the half.
Corneiro added two buckets to open the third but was cancelled by Linstra for Squan, with the score 27-24 in favor of the Warriors midway through the third. Linstra found a hot hand in the third quarter, firing his way to double digits. The junior pushed himself to 13 as the quarter was winding down and gave them a 38-29 lead late in the 3rd when he back down his man and found a cutting Ryan Mulvaney for a layup. A timeout didnt slow Manasquan down as they added two more buckets. Ben Kipnis found the bank open from deep cut the Squan to lead 43-32 after three.
The fourth quarter was merely academic. Linstra continued his strong play at both ends, found Konov for an easy layup to open the quarter, added a +1 of his own and pushed the lead to 50-33 with 6:00 to go. Manasquan would cap off a fine second half performance by emptying the bench up by 22 inside the final minutes to close out a 59-37 victory.
Case Agency Player Of The Game
Griffin Linstra, Manasquan
The Warriors junior guard found his groove and another gear in the second half. Linstra turned on the gas and finished with 16 points. He dished out a handful of assists and di an excellent job defensively. While defense has been his calling card his first two years of high school, he has found offensive confidence and is now a leader for a Manasquan team with a high ceiling in the Shore Conference.
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