Clark sisters lead Spartans over Green Wave

Jineen Ayyash (24) was driving to the hoop for Ocean and then found an open teammate under the basket. Freshman guard Michayla Bland is the defender for Long Branch.

By Walter J. O’Neill, Jr.

The 2023-2024 basketball season tipped off on December 15, with the Lady Green Wave of Long Branch hosting the Spartans of Ocean Township. Ocean coasted to an easy 64-36 win, with the Clark sisters leading the way.

Senior Eli Clark and junior Kayden Clark each had 15 points in the victory over Long Branch. Eli also had two rebounds, six assists and one steal. Her younger sister, Kayden, had one assist and two steals.

The Spartans had jumped out to a 21-8 lead after the first quarter. They added 13 points in the second quarter and only allowed the Wave to score six, taking a 34-14 lead into the halftime break.

Michael Lazur is in his tenth season as head coach and he has experienced the agony of losing. However, last year was the first time in 26 years that the Spartans won a divisional title, and they all return for another run at the prize. Five of its starters from last years 23-6 squad have returned this year.

During the second half, Ocean outscored Long Branch 18-5 in the third and were outscored 17-12 in the fourth by the Green Wave. Ocean took the victory and had its opening night win. Gamila Betton, senior, finished with 12 points, two rebounds, three assists and three steals. Caroline Bariscillo, sophomore, scored eight points, Jineen Ayyash, senior, had seven, and Sofia Chebookjian had four. Sophomore Ava Chebookjian, younger sister to Sofia, had two points and Yassmeen Youssef, also a sophomore, had a foul shot to round out the scoring.

“These girls are hard working and tested. Teamwork is a big part of why they are successful. They all have their roles, and when one is down, another steps up,” said Lazur. Every girl on the roster contributed with points, rebounds, steals or assists in the win over Long Branch.

Long Branch has Shannon Coyle enters her 12^th season as head coach. When she took over the program it had decades of losing records. Coyle was a standout guard during her career at St. John Vianney High School and averaged 14 points per-game and led the Lancers to a state championship. She also played at the University of South Carolina Aiken. She is employed as a preschool teacher for Long Branch and truly enjoys how the girls have progressed over the years. “Unfortunately, this year we lost one of our best players to Shore Regional as the family has moved out of the city. It will be a tough year, but we will be competitive,” said Coyle. She added that the start of this season they are facing some of the top ranked teams in the state, and they are not on the same level with them.

In the loss to Ocean, Leomary Diaz-Merino a junior at Long Branch, led all players on the court scoring 19 points. She also had three rebounds and four steals. Leilani Andrews, senior, scored 12 points, pulled down five rebounds and had one block. Alayah Vincent, senior, had four points and six rebounds. Nevaeh Wheeler, freshman, had one point.

In their second game of the season the Green Wave lost to Ranney 52-35. Diaz-Merino was leading scorer for Long Branch with 13 points. Andrews finished with 11, Vincent scored nine and Taniylah Brown had two.

In game two of the season the Spartans  beat Keyport 69-26. Eli Clark had 15, Kayden Clark and Betton each had 12, Joli Willis had 11, Jineen Ayyash scored 9, the Chebbokjian sisters each had four and Youssef finished with two points.

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