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January 25, 2025By Walter J. O’Neill, Jr.

At halftime of the 52-21 win over Monmouth Regional, the Green Wave of Long Branch High School recognized 20 alumni players dating back to 1977 that were in attendance.
January 21, Long Branch High School paid honor to the two seniors on the varsity girls’ basketball team. Before the tip off of the game against Monmouth Regional, Taniylah Brown and Leomary Diaz-Merino were presented with flowers by the coaching staff and Green Wave teammates.
Then it was back to work as both Monmouth Regional and Long Branch are divisional rivals in the Shore Conference B North. The Falcons entered Long Branch with a 2-6 overall record and were 0-3 in the division, while the host Green Wave were 7-4 overall and 1-3 in the B North.
The first quarter was the most competitive of the evening as Long Branch had a 9-8 advantage going into the second quarter. Shannon Coyle, head coach of the Wave, must have said something to her team at the conclusion of that opening quarter, as Long Branch was a completely different team in the second quarter. They outplayed Monmouth Regional in every aspect of the game, outscoring the Flacons 21-9 taking a 30-17 lead into the halftime break.

Leading Long Branch in the 52-21 win over Monmouth Regional was senior Leomary Diaz-Merino (5) with 30 points.
During the second half of action, Monmouth Regional was only able to add a total of four points to their total. They scored two in the third quarter and two in the final eight minutes. Laura Forbes, head coach at Monmouth Regional, said it’s a challenging year. With only two seniors and three juniors, the majority of the Flacons are eight sophomores and two freshmen.
Junior Ava Augusta and sophomore Claire Indahl were the two leading scorers for Monmouth Regional with six points during the 52-21 loss to Long Branch. They each finished the game with six points. Emma Riccardi, junior and Antonella Ibarra, sophomore, had three points, and sophomores Veronica Bachstetter had a basket while Maggie Serghis made a foul shot.
For the Green Wave, it was all Leomary Diaz-Merino. She finished with 30 points, had five rebounds and assists, three blocks and six steals. She is also the most recent player to achieve the 1,000 career plus point total for Long Branch.

Fighting for a rebound is Ava Augusta (2,) a junior at Monmouth Regional and Taniylah Brown (10), a senior at Long Branch.
“Last year was the first time I actually thought that I might reach 1,000 points,” said Diaz-Merino. Her first two years on varsity she scored a total of 350 points. As a junior, she scored 415, giving her a total of 765 going into her final season. And what a season she is having this year, averaging 25 points per-game.
She reached the 1,000-point mark on January 17, when Long Branch hosted Freehold Township. Entering that game Diaz-Merino was just seven points away from that elite group. The Wave lost the game 45-29, but Diaz-Merino scored 18 points, giving her 1,011 going into the Monmouth Regional game.
“I am a little superstitious, I have to wear certain socks. And when I put my hair in a braid, I don’t play as well, so I don’t braid it anymore,” said Diaz-Merino. Her favorite part of the game is shooting long distance. As of the win over Monmouth Regional, she has made 146 shots from outside the three-point arch.
“It was a commanding performance by Leomary, who showcased her leadership and scoring prowess, dropping an impressive 30 points to propel her team to a decisive win,” said Coyle. During Coyle’s time as head coach, Diaz-Merino is the second player to reach 1,000-points. Coyle was unsure how many have reached that level before her tenure as coach.
“Long Branch has a long history and we are going through the records trying to put a list together of the 1,000-point scores,” said Jason Corley, Athletic Director for Long Branch High School.
“The team’s defensive intensity proved to be the catalyst for success, particular in the second quarter when a lockdown effort fueled a strong offensive surge. The commitment to aggressive defense into easy scoring opportunities, a hallmark of their game plan that paid off once again.” Added Coyle.
Coyle added that Brown was a force in the paint. “Her relentless work on the boards and shot-blocking presence anchored the defense and helped secure key possessions throughout the contest,” Coyle said.
Navaeh Wheeler, sophomore guard, scored eight points, Layla Bland, sophomore guard scored six, Brown had four points, three rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Jadayah Bowles, sophomore guard, also had four points in the win.
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