Point Beach Knocks Shore From Tournament Contention

The Shore Regional boys basketball team's late season run and dreams of a spot in the Shore Conference Tournament were dashed by a powerful Point Pleasant Beach team Monday night.

After playing well in the first half and going into halftime with the score tied, the Garnet Gulls proved to be too much for the Blue Devils, who went on to win 69-51.

Shore senior Zack Hoffman, who has been the team's most consistent player this season, played well in the loss and kept his team in the game early, but Point Beach's size proved to be too much in the second half. 

With hot 3-point shooting from Point Beach freshman guard Matt Farrell and 28 points from Rice University-bound Jarelle Reischel, the Garnet Gulls' strong second half propelled the team to its 10th win of the season (10-6, 7-4 division).

The loss drops Shore Regional's record to 9-12 and will prevent them from competing in the Shore Conference Tournament. Teams must have a .500 record to play in the tournament and with only two games left on the schedule, that is now an impossibility for the Blue Devils.

Shore had won two games in a row to keep their run at a tournament berth alive, but needed to win its final three games in order to qualify. Before the game, Shore head coach Doug Shaw acknowledged that a win over Point Beach would not be an easy task for his squad.

The Blue Devils' next game will be at 4 p.m. Tuesday at home vs. Ranney School. Point Beach will play on the road against Lakewood at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.