Girls beat Holmdel in overtime affair

5th seeded Middletown South came back from a 4 point deficit in the final minute of regulation to push the game to overtime, where they beat 12th seeded Holmdel 53 to 46.

In the first half, the Eagles had the upper hand, with the score in their favor at 21-15 heading into the locker room. But, early in the third quarter, Brittany Hoffman injured her knee, leading to a Holmdel breakaway layup, and momentum immediately swung in the Hornets direction. Hoffman did not return, but was seen walking around the sideline at the end of the game.

Holmdel outscored South 15 to 7 in the third, to take a 30-28 lead at the end of the quarter. Holmdel held the lead for most of the fourth, with South making runs to try and overtake them, but the score stayed within a 1 to 5 point lead for Holmdel throughout the quarter.

With 45 seconds left in regulation Holmdel held a 4 point advantage over the Eagles, but a layup brought it within 2. There was a foul on the layup, but the shot was missed. Luckily for the Eagles, Shawna Hagen stepped in to get the rebound and put it back in to tie it at 44 all.

Holmdel coach Debbie Emery called a timeout with 11 seconds remaining to draw up a play. The Hornets shot was off the mark and rebounded by South. The Eagles pushed it up the floor to Julie Gannon, who took an off balance shot that banked off the backboard, but then hit the front of the rim and rolled out.

Middletown South came out fired up in the overtime period, getting a quick two score advantage. Holmdel whittled the lead to 49-46 with 40 seconds to go in the game, but the Eagles executed their free throws and walked away with the 53-46 win.

Danielle Pankey, despite fouling out with a couple of minutes left in the fourth, led the way for South, with a game high 16 points. Christina Longo chipped in tremendously with 14 on the night. Shawna Hagen scored 9, including the two crucial points at the end of regulation to tie the game.

Dana Graziano had a team high 15 points, while teammate Melissa Martorelli chipped in 10 in the losing effort.

Middletown South moves onto play fourth seeded Voorhees at Vorhees Thursday night at 7 PM. Students have until the end of 1st period on Thursday to sign up, and the school needs at least 30 students or they will cancel the bus.

Girls win nail biter against Monmouth

The Middletown South girl's team held off a late push by Tia Curtis and the Monmouth Regional Falcons to win 59-55.

After South led 26-19 at the half, the Eagles came out flying in the third quarter, extending the lead to 42-31 headed into the final period.

But Monmouth would not go down without a fight. In the fourth, South led by as much as 12, but Monmouth fought back to bring that within 4 points with a minute and thirty seconds left on the game clock. At the one minute mark, South held a slim lead of 53-51. Monmouth took the ball down the scored again, which tied the game with 40 seconds left in regulation.

Brittany Hoffman took the ball down the court and dribbled her way through the Falcon defenders. She scored on a layup and was fouled. She missed the foul shot, but Danielle Pankey was there to get the rebound and lay it in for two, which brought the game to the final of 59-55.

Pankey was the leading scorer for the Eagles, with 17. Shealyn Taggart scored 13 and teammate Courtney Herring chipped in 10.

Tia Curtis had a game-high 21 points for Monmouth in the loss. Brittany Powell netted 15 and Caitlin Shaw scored 11 for the Falcons.

The Eagles secured the 5th seed and will play the 12th ranked team, Holmdel, at home next Tuesday the 27th. Monmouth has a bye in the first round after earning the 4th seed in the Central Group 3 Bracket.

Boys knock off Keansburg

Middletown South defeated Keansburg 44-29 in a game where neither team seemed to find a rhythm offensively.

Turnovers and passes sailing out of bounds highlighted the 1st quarter, resulting in an 8-6 South lead.

Things picked up slightly in the second quarter, as South took a 18-16 into the locker room at halftime.

After extending its lead to 29-21 to start the fourth quarter, Middletown South finally pulled away. The Ealges outscored Keansburg 15-8 in the final quarter to give secure a win in their final home game of the season.

Garret Thiel once again led the way for the Eagles, netting 14 points, bringin down 7 rebounds and dishing out 4 assists. Brian Dudzinski played well in the final home game of his career, scoring 10 and securing 7 rebounds. James Haley chipped in 8 points. Kyle Cancilleri came off the bench and had what was easily his best defensive game of the season. He did a great job of blocking shots, making steals, and securing rebounds today.

Andrew Carusotto and Lauren Banks tied for a team high 7 points for Keansburg, with teammate Tom Sheehan and Al Moscatello both scoring 6 in the losing effort.

Middletown South, now 13-11, plays in the NJSIAA North 2 Group 3 tournament next Tuesday at 8th seeded Scotch Plains, the Eagles are the 9 seed. 12th seeded Keansburg plays the number 5 seed South Amboy in the Central Group 1 Bracket on the same day.

South Basketball goes 1 for 2 in playoff double-header

There was a lot of basketball being played tonight at Middletown South and the South fans were treated to two Shore Conference Tournament games.

The boys team lost to Toms River East by a score of 68-42 because of a strong scoring effort by Senior Tyler Fox.

Fox knocked down 4 three pointers in the first quarter to help the Raiders on a 15-2 run to start the game. TR East led 22-6 at the end of the first, as the Eagles only scored one field goal and four free throws.

Middletown South gained some momentum in the second quarter, outscoring the Raiders 19-13 to go into the half by a score of only 35-25.

Toms River East took all of that momentum back when they scored 19 points to South's 10 to take a 54-34 advantage going into the final period.

The Raiders held South to only 7 points in the fourth to ice the game.

Fox led TR East with a game-high 22 points, knocking down threes all game long. Fellow senior Rob Urie netted 16. Junior Garret Thiel had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, also adding 4 assists. Junior Peter Clabby and Freshman Kyle Cancilleri both scored 7 and Brian Dudzinski scored 6 in what may have been the final home game of his career.


The girls team won a seesaw battle against Southern Regional in a game that did not look like it would come down to the final minutes.

Southern looked in control as it ended the first quarter with a 13-6 lead, but Middletown South cam roaring back with a 14-4 run to start the second quarter, which would lead to a 23-19 Eagle halftime advantage.

In the third quarter, Middletown fought for some breathing room, extending the lead to 10 points.

In the final quarter, things started to get interesting. With 1:40 left on the clock Southern had closed the gap to 43-39 Eagles. But Middletown South would not go down that easily. Jenna McFarland knocked down two free throws and Brittany Hoffman stole the ensuing inbounds pass and hit both free throws after she was fouled to give South an eight point cushion.

But with 30 seconds left, Southern had cut into the lead once again to make the score 49-46. Courtney Herring and Hoffman were both able to hit two free throws each to finish off the game with a 53-46 Eagle win.

Hoffman, who left the game for a short while in the third after being knocked down by an elbow to the face, led South with 14 points. Herring, Christina Longo and Danielle Pankey contributed with 11, 10 and 9 points, respectively. April Smith scored a game-high 17 points while teammate Olivia Tromm chipped in 14.

Busy Night At Middletown South

I just want to warn everyone that tonight the school is going to be a zoo, and parking probably a nightmare. In addition to the two basketball games (boys at 5:30 PM, girls at 7:00 PM) the District Wrestling tournament will also be held in the large gym. I'm not 100% sure on the wrestling start time, but I doubt they'll be done by the time the boys game starts so you may want to get there early to get a parking spot. Also, if you plan on attending either basketball game, they are both in the smaller gym, which has much less seating than the gym the wrestling is in.

Boys Game Postponed...Again

Once again, because of the weather and school being closed, tonight's boys first round playoff game has been pushed back until tomorrow.

There will be a double-header on tap at Middletown South tomorrow as the Boys play versus Toms River East tomorrow at 5:30 in the smaller gym, immediately followed by the girls 2nd round matchup against the winner of Southern and Shore.

Boys Basketball Game Postponed

Because of the snow, and school being canceled, the Boys 1st round Shore Conference Tournament has been moved from today at 7 PM to tomorrow, Thursday the 15th, at the same time.

Basketball Games Canceled for Tonight

Both the Boys and Girls basketball teams were scheduled to play Rumson-Fair Haven tonight but both games were canceled.

The Shore Conference Tournament begins on Wednesday with a boys game at home versus Toms River East.

Shore Conference Basketball Tournament Seedings Announced

Today, the Shore Conference announced the seedings and schedules for the Basketball Tournament.

The Boys team earned a 16th seed with a 12-10 record because of big wins over Colts Neck and Raritan. They will play a home game in the first round against Toms River East at 7 PM on Wednesday night.

The Girls locked up the 5th seed in the tournament on the strength of a 16-2 record, including impressive wins over Colts Neck, Mater Dei, and Southern Regional. Being the fifth seed gets them a first round bye, and will play either #21 Shore or #12 Southern on Friday night at home.

Buzzer Beater by Thiel gives South a big Win

Garret Thiel's saved Middletown South with a game winning three at the buzzer to give them a 46-45 win over Toms River North.

In the first quarter, South looked to have total control. They allowed only one field goal, a layup to end the quarter, and a free throw to hold a 10-3 lead at the end of the first. But Toms River went on a 9-2 run to tie the game at 12.

South held a small 3 point advantage going into half, but a poor showing in the third gave Toms River a 28-27 lead going into the final period.

With 3 minutes left in the game, TR North seemed to have the game in hand with a 6 point lead. But, in a 30 second span late in the fourth, Kyle Cancilleri stole the inbounds, scored on a layup, and then TR North threw the inbounds away.

The ball ended up in the hands of one of the Toms River coaches who then spiked the ball, drawing a technical. Thiel made both free throws to cut Toms River's lead to 2.

The teams traded baskets and free throws until 17 seconds were left in the game and TR North had just hit a free throw to extend the lead back to 2.

Garret Thiel brought it up, and passed it off to Pete Clabby, who worked the ball to Brian Dudzinski. Thiel then got the ball back and came off of a screen for a good look from behind the arc and easily made it.

The South bench and student section all piled onto the floor and mobbed Thiel. But, Toms River North called a timeout quickly after the basket, and officials put 0.4 seconds back on the clock. The ensuing inbounds was tipped by Dudzinski off the backboard and the ball fell harmlessly to the ground for an Eagle victory.

Thiel was the leading scorer for South, netting 15 points. Kyle Cancilleri scored 12 and brought down 5 rebounds. The only senior honored at Senior Night, Brian Dudzinski scored 11 points and had 6 boards.

Arin West had a team-high 13 for TR North, while teammates Charles Kelly and Pete Szulics chipped in 10 and 9 points, respectively.

The win secures a home playoff game for the Eagles as there record improves to 12-10. Toms River North's record drops to 9-11 on the year.

Boys Secure SCT Spot

Last week, the boys basketball team earned a spot in the NJSIAA State Tournament. Their 51-43 win over Mater Dei tonight guaranteed them a chance in the Shore Conference Tournament.

The score was tied at 12 when the first quarter ended, and the game stayed relatively close the entire game. South had only a 4 point lead at halftime, but turned in a solid third quarter to take a 10 point advantage.

South's had its ups and downs in the fourth quarter, never allowiong the lead to be less than 6 but not extending it to more than 10 because of several missed free throw oppurtunies and unforced turnovers.

Foul trouble hurt the Seraphs, though. They had 6 team fouls before the third period was over and picked up the 7th early in the fourth, which helped the Eagles hold their lead.

Junior Garret Thiel had one of his best games all season. His 25 points were almost half of the team's offensive production. Junior James Haley contributed 6, as did Freshmen Kyle Cancilleri ,who has seen more and more playing time over the past few weeks since coming back from a foot injury to start his high school career.

Mater Dei spread the points around much more than the Eagles did, with Nick Rufo scoring a team-high 10 points. Holch netted 9 points, while Mike Pellicane and Jay Cash chipped in 8 and 6 respectively.

The Eagles record now stands at 11-10, with 2 more games remaining on the schedule. The Eagles will need to beat Toms River North (9-10) or Rumson (3-15) to finish the season with a .500 record.

Lady Eagles win big A-North matchup

Middletown South improved their first place record with a convincing 52-41 win over 12-4 Colts Neck.

The Eagles led the Cougars by 3 points at the end of the first quarter, and extended that lead to 7 midway through second. But then Colts Neck went on 12-1 run to take a 28-25 lead. The Eagles recovered to tie the game at 30 all going into the half.

Julie Gannon scored 6 of her 9 points in the first minutes of the second half to help South to some breathing room, which helped them secure a 3 point advantage as the fourth quarter started.

With three minutes left in the game, the Eagles held a 5 point lead over Colts Neck and were able to control the ball for over a minute, while also drawing three Cougar fouls. Those three fouls pushed South into the one and one bonus and helped seal the victory.

Lauren Clark of Colts Neck had a game high 16 points in the losing effort, while teammate Brook Hampton contributed 14. Shealyn Taggart had a team high 13 to lead the Eagles. Shawna Haggen and Danielle Pankey scored 11 and 8 points, respectively.

The Eagles record now improves to 14-2 and they have clinched the A-North Title.

Fans and players alike were encouraged to see Jill Gannon in attendance. This was the first game she has attended since her serious injury in the Janruary 12th game versus Manchester.

And, I can't believe I haven't mentioned them yet this season, but the pep band was magnificent today and has been all year.

Eagles soar into playoffs

In the 2004-2005 season, Middletown South went 0-21. Last year, their record was 3-18. This year, they are headed to the NJSIAA Tournament because of a 49-35 win over Raritan Saturday afternoon.

South held only a 17-16 lead going into half-time, but outscored Raritan 18-7 in the third, in part to a crazy ending to the quarter. Kyle Cancilleri blocked a Rocket layup, Mike Roura picked the ball up and pushed up the floor, then passed it off to Jack Provine, who hit a three as time expired.

There was a scary moment at the begining of the fourth quarter when Kyle Cancilleri was fouled hard by Brian England, and smacked his head against the floor but was able to get up after a few moments. Brian Dudzinski got into a shoving match with England and both got a technical foul. At the end of the play, England was given both a foul and a technical, while Dudzinski received just the technical.

Middletown South Trainer Stacy White said after the game, "Kyle's OK. We just held him out for precautionary reasons."

The game continued, and the Eagles were able to keep a comfortable lead all the way until the end. Garret Thiel had a game-high 16 points for South. Mike Roura had one of his best all-around games of the season, scoring 10 and securing 4 rebounds. The Rocket's leading scorer was Will Atkinson with 11.

While the Eagles have secured a spot in the state tournament, there are still 3 games until the cut-off for the Shore Conference Tournament and they have to win at least two of them.

Eagles keep state playoff hopes alive

Middletown South won a must-win game to even their record at 9-9, as well as give themselves a chance to make the state playoffs with a win against 13-5 Raritan on Saturday afternoon.

The Eagles won by a score of 35-29, in sloppily played game by both teams. South led 20-17 at half and then the two teams only scored a combined 8 points in the 3rd quarter.

The Howell Rebels went on a small run in the 4th quarter to make it a 27-26 South lead, but a layup by Kyle Cancilleri and two Garret Thiel free throws gave South enough breathing room to secure the eventual 35-29 victory.

Thiel led the Eagles with 11 pts, and Cancilleri and Brian Dudzinski both netted 6. The leading scorer for the Rebels was Ryan Laponski with 11.