South girl's win despite Tromm's milestone

The Middletown South girl’s basketball team defeated Southern Regional by a score of 52-42. Southern Regional’s Olivia Tromm reached a milestone when she scored her 1000^th career point midway through the fourth quarter. Unfortunately for her team, after the short break for Tromm’s teammates to congratulate her, Middletown South went on a 12-4 run to finish off the game and secure an Eagle’s win. Sharlyn Taggart scored tied for the game-high with 13 points for Middletown South, while teammate Brittany Hoffman chipped in 8. Kristen Sharkey led Southern Regional with 13 points, with Tromm contributing 11. The Eagles improved their record to 11-2 while the Rams drop to 11-6.

Boy's losing streak reaches 5

CBA defeated Middletown South 65-35 in a game where CBA was in control from start to finish. The Colts held South to only 2 points in the 3^rd quarter after having an 18 points halftime lead. Brian Neller was the leading scorer for CBA with 13 points while Mike Roura put in 7 for the Eagles. This is South’s 5^th lost in a row, dropping below .500 with a record of 7-8.

Boys drop 4th straight, 83-63

Middletown South was lost their 4th straight game, this one to undefeated Freehold Township. Marcus Roberson scored 17 points to lead Freehold, while both T.J. Laflace and Roger Wilmot scored 16. Garret Thiel had a team high 21 points for the Eagles, as well as 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Underclassmen Matt Callori and Kyle Cancillari both had strong games again, scoring 10 and 9 points, respectively. Middletown South will have a tough time ending their current slide with a game Thursday afternoon at CBA.

South loses to cross-town rival North

The Middletown South Eagles lost their 3^rd game in a row, 42-30, against cross-town rival Middletown North. The Eagles took a 16-14 lead into halftime, but they struggled and North had a 24-22 lead going into the 4^th quarter. The Lions outscored South 18-8 in the final quarter and improved their record to 5-8. Middletown North held Brian Dudzinski, who scored 13 points in their last regular season match up at North, to only 1 point and 3 rebounds because of early foul trouble. Freshman Kyle Cancillieri scored a team high 12 points and secured 6 rebounds. Sophomore Matt Callori had 9 points and 3 boards while the Eagles record drops to 7-6.

Middletown South 58-Manalapan 19

The Middletown South girls basketball team defeated the Manalapan Braves 58-19. The Eagles scored the first 33 points of the game, not allowing a Manalapan basket until 3:20 minutes left in the 2^nd quarter. South went in at half with a 40-5 lead. Danielle Panke led the team with 10 points while Sharlyn Taggart had 8 points. Courtney Herrin, Julie Gannon, and Leanne Thomas all scored 6. This was the first Eagles home game since Julie Gannon’s frightening injury, and the gym now sports padded walls on both ends of the floor. Fans showed their support for Jill with a huge sign with the message “Get Well Soon Sunshine.”

South Girls drop one at Battle at the Boardwalk

The Middletown South girls basketball team lost 59-49 to Neptune High School in the Battle at the Boardwalk in Asbury Park. The team decided Saturday to play despite a serious head injury to junior Jill Gannon that left her hospitalized. The team wore tape around their wrists, showing Jill's number 5. Jill's older sister, Julie, spent the game on the bench in street clothes while wearing Jill's jersey. Christina Longo scored 13 points to help make the game close at the end, but it was not enough to overcome the Scarlet Fliers. Besides missing Jill and Julie Gannon, Shawna Hagen and Courtney Herring also missed the game with the flu.

Also, a correction from Friday night's post: Jill Gannon suffered her injury while going up for a layup, not a rebound.

Tonight's girls basketball game between 7-1 Middletown South and 10-1 Manchester was called shortly before the end of the first quarter after Jill Gannon suffered an injury that left players and fans unnerved. As Jill went up for a rebound, she collided with a Manchester player, fell to the floor, and slid, hitting her head into the wall. The ambulance was immediatley called and Jill was taken off on a stretcher. The officials wisely called the game as there was no way that the players on either side could have continued. I hope Jill is fine and makes a full recovery.

Boys and Girls Basktball both score victories

The Middletown South Eagles boys basketball team (7-3) upset the Colts Neck Cougars (8-2) with a 55-42 win. The score was 20-18 at halftime, but South outscored Colts Neck 14-6 in the 3^rd quarter. Junior Guard Garret Thiel led the team with 14 points, while senior center Brian Dudzinski chipped in 11. Junior Pete Clabby hit two big three pointers and had 7 points overall. Mike Roura and James Haley both played great defensively, making huge important hustle plays to contribute to the win.

The Lady Eagles basketball team also won, 48-45. A last second three pointer by Colts Neck rolled out to clinch the game for South.

Also, I am now working with ShoreConferenceSports.com, so you can also check out some of my work at there website. The URL is on the right of the page under Links.

Boy's BBall drops one to CBA

The Eagles just couldn't put enoughpoints on the board to defeat mighty CBA. The Eagles defense played well, allowing only 35 points. The offense, though, turned the ball over too many times and missed a few easy layups. Garret Thiel did not have his best offencive game before fouling out in the 4th quarter. Peter Clabby was cold from beyond the arc after being very consistent from three-point range all year long. The 35-22 loss puts the Eagle's record at 5-3 going into a game in Lakewood on Monday night.

Boys basketball wins again

The Middletown South Boys basketball team defeated Marlboro 44-38 to imporove thier record to 5-2. The game was tied 14-14 at the end of the end of the first quarter. The Eagles were in trouble when Marlboro went on a 10-0 run to start the second quarter. But the Eagles worked their way back into the game. Peter Clabby had another great game from beyind the arc, hitting many key three pointers throughout the game. Garret Thiel spread the ball around and played great defense. Brian Dudzinski and Mike Roura played good post defense, dominating the paint. Matt Callori scored 9 points from the charity stripe and only missing one free throw in pressure situations. South plays CBA at 1 PM on Saturday afternoon.

Holiday Tournament Recaps

I hope everyone had a Happy New Year, but despite not having school, three South teams were involved in Holiday tournaments.

The Boy's Basketball team finished in 3rd place in the Bayshore Holiday Tournament at St. John Vianney. The Eagles lost 64-59 in the first round to eventual champion St. John Vianney. Garret Thiel led the team with 22 points while Brian Dudzinski chipped in 19. In their 2nd game, they defeated cross-town rival Middletown North for the second time this season by a score of 47-43. In the 3rd-place game South defeated Mater Dei 36-27 in an extremely defensive game. The score after the 1st quarter was 4-4 and 11-9 at the half. The Eagles overall record comes to 4-2 with games against Marlboro and CBA at home this week.

The Lady Eagles basketball team came in 2nd in the Capital City Holiday Tournament at Trenton Central High School. They defeated New Brunswick 58-41 in the first round game. Danielle Pankey led the team with 13 points and Christina Longo scored 10. In the finals, South lost 41-26 to finish in 2nd place. With their record now standing at 4-1, the girls get set to play at Marlboro on Thursday.

The Wrestling team hosted the Walter Woods Holiday Tournament at Middletown South. The team finished 9th overall with 44 points. Charlie Croce won the 130-pound bracket, defeating Brandon Litner of Pinelands 6-1. The team will have a match against CBA Wednesday looking to improve on its 1-1 record.