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BASKETBALL
Asbury Park Press
MANASQUAN -- The rematch is set.
In a 2024-25 basketball postseason that has paralleled last year's in a variety of ways, the Manasquan boys basketball team is aiming to break precedent after a 48-36 victory over Rumson-Fair Haven in the Central Group 2 sectional final on Saturday. Once again, the Warriors will face Camden in the state semifinal on Wednesday at Monroe High School. And it's no secret that the team is determined to right the wrong of last year's controversial "loss" at the buzzer.
"It's going to be fun," Manasquan senior Griffin Linstra said. "I think the whole state of New Jersey wants to see that. And it's going to be fun, we're excited."
Aside from that brief acknowledgement, there was hardly a mention of the potential rematch as Camden had yet to cement its eventual 85-50 victory over Middle Township in South Group 2 section title. And the jubilant mood of Manasquan faithful was such that no observer would think this is the program's sixth consecutive section title. The excitement was amplified by the Manasquan girls basketball squad's sectional championship that directly preceded the boys game.
"It's the greatest town on Earth," Linstra said. "It's awesome that the community comes out for us and we get to do this for them."
As students stormed the court in the aftermath of the grinding victory, it was a celebration worthy of a school that had never sniffed success before. To say nothing of the fact that it's a community still left with bitter aftertaste of a season that ended in controversy when Linstra's last second buzzer beater was erroneously overruled by officials resulting in a Camden victory.
"That's what it's all about, them just having fun. It's still a kid's game," said Manasquan coach Andrew Bilodeau. "You don't work basketball, you play basketball. It's supposed to be fun. So that's great to see."
The magnitude of that rematch surely overshadows the impressive showing as Manasquan set the pace from start to finish against a Rumson squad that had taken the Warriors to the brink in the past two games, including in last year's section final. This time, 'Squan left no doubt after seizing a lead late in the first quarter and never relinquishing it until the final buzzer.
As he's been over his entire career, Linstra was sensational in all aspects. He was second on the team with 13 points, but his impact on defense was even more palpable. He guarded Rumson's star 6-foot-8 junior Luke Cruz for the majority of the game, and Manasquan held Cruz scoreless in the first half as they built a pivotal 23-8 lead.
"My last time playing in this gym, it better have been Manasquan basketball," said Linstra of his team's renowned defensive prowess. "We were just so locked in. They wanted it so bad. They wanted it for the kids who haven't won a state championship before."
One of those kids is stellar sophomore Rey Weinseimer. Manasquan's leading scorer was once again an ever-reliable source of offense. While the young standout is deferential about the team's ball movement that leads to his scoring production, he acknowledged that his advanced athletic mindset was aided by his older sister Elena, an All-Shore softball player now a freshman with the Harvard Crimson.
"They're two totally different sports, but in softball, a big part of it is mental," Weinseimer said. "She tore her meniscus recently and had a rough start to Harvard. And just seeing her excel, she was an Ivy League Rookie of the Week her first week back (from injury). And so just seeing that, and just seeing her overcome those obstacles mentally, that rubbed off on me a lot. And that's just made me tougher mentally."
It's that type of family continuity that makes athletic success at Manasquan uniquely special. This year's basketball team is comprised entirely of local products, another boon to the energy that has driven the program to yet another title.
"You look at our starting five, there's five kids that play different sports," Linstra said. "Three of them aren't really basketball players, but they compete for their school and they want to win for Manasquan. And I just think that's just part of the community. It's a community full of winners. It's a family full of winners."
Defensive deadlock gives way to double-digit Manasquan victory
After the opening five minutes of basketball, the two teams combined to score five total points. As usual, Manasquan had set the tone at home with defensive grit. And that made the team's pedestrian offense look revelatory.
Manasquan inched ahead of Rumson-Fair Haven to close out the first quarter with a 10-6 lead. But the real defensive clinic was exhibited in the second as the Warriors conceded a bucket to the Bulldogs in the opening minute of the quarter and then proceeded to hold them scoreless for the next seven minutes while going on a 13-0 run. At halftime, 'Squan held a commanding 23-8 lead.
Rumson's offense awakened in the second half, but every moment of blossoming momentum was snuffed out by a Manasquan answer at the other end. The Warriors lead hovered at 10 points throughout the third quarter. Every time the Bulldogs cut into it, as they did with a Cruz three-pointer, there was an answer at the opposite end. Manasquan led 30-18 heading into the fourth quarter.
For all their spirited attempts at a comeback, Rumson never cut the Manasquan lead to less than seven points. And the errors of turnovers and botched defensive rotations undermined the Bulldogs' chance at a comeback. A flurry of late free throws artificially inflated the score down the stretch after the game was mostly decided at 39-31 with two minutes remaining. Credit to the Bulldogs for competitive efforts down the stretch to stay within striking distance, but it was never enough to put the game in doubt as Manasquan sealed the 48-36 win.
It's another heartbreaking finish in the section final for a Rumson squad that had the composition of a team ready to win this year. The Bulldogs had nine seniors and the remainder of the varsity roster was juniors, giving the squad an experience group dead set on finishing this season with a title. They were clearly among the Shore's elite tier of teams all winter, but all the while it was known that only one team could come out of the Central Group 2 section that was filled with many of the best basketball programs in the Shore Conference.
The rematch basketball fans wanted comes to fruition
Sooner or later, any conversation about this year's high school basketball postseason would circle back to the tantalizing possibility that is now reality. Manasquan (23-4) will face Camden (22-8) in a game that was initially scheduled to be played at Central Regional on Wednesday, but will instead be relocated further north to Monroe High School.
Camden's immense athleticism that is a program staple is ever-present, but the team's national profile is relatively tame compared to past years. They're led by David Munro, formerly of College Achieve Asbury Park, and Emmanuel Joe-Samuel. That senior duo has combined for nearly 1,000 points this season.
That prolific offense is a divergent contrast to the group of local Manasquan products that mostly shine brightest in other sports and grind out victories with impeccable defense and superb offensive execution. But Camden is a local power this year, not a national one. Losses to Lenape and Bishop Eustace demonstrate that this is a more vulnerable iteration of the team than past year's.
This time of year, these types of games are often decided by a single score down the stretch or even at the buzzer. And that will be just fine, just as long as a third team in black and white stripes doesn't intervene.