Grace Ascolese leads Shore over Middletown North

By Walter J. O’Neill, Jr.

Grace Ascolese a sophomore at Shore Regional was high scorer for the Blue Devils in the win over Middletown North. It was the Preliminary Round of the Shore Conference Tournament and Ascolese had 16 points, 3 rebounds and 3 steals.

It was her night to shine as Shore Regional High School sophomore forward Grace Ascolese led her Blue Devils basketball team to victory. Shore hosted Middletown North in the preliminary round of the Shore Conference Tournament. The Blue Devils are seated 14 while the Lions of Middletown North came in as the 19 seed.

The first quarter was a very tight game as Shore Regional only had an 8-6 advantage over their opponents. Shore also suffered a big scare when their most recent 1,000 point scorer, Kimi Sayson went down with an ankle injury.

Shore is extremely dependent upon three key players offensively, Sayson, Reese Fiore and Ava Coyle. However, they have a bench that has talent and as head coach William Wishart says, “If they get the chance to shine, they need to take it.”

Ascolese was one of those players that Wishart uses off the bench. She made the most of her playing time as she was high scorer for Shore Regional with 16 points. She has scored in double digits in three pervious games. In the win over Ocean Township, she scored 12, had 11 against Raritan and 10 in the loss to Ranney.

In the win over Middletown North, Ascolese made five baskets from outside the three point arch. She also had three rebounds and three steals. That was a big help for her squad as Sayson sat out most of the first half.

Going into the halftime break, Shore Regional had 21-16 advantage. As the Blue Devils exited the locker room, Sayson had her sneaker back on and was warming up with her team, which was a good sign. She reentered the game in the third quarter and had no long-lasting side effects of the twisted ankle.

Shore outscored Middletown North 9-4 in the third and dominated the fourth with a 14-4 performance taking the 44-24 victory. One of the strongest strengths of the Blue Devils game is the defense and especially the halfcourt pressure. Coyle, junior guard, was going 100 mph on defense which resulted in seven steals. On the season she has 79, with 10 being the highest amount in a single game.

Also having a great game for the Blue Devils was Emma Madison, freshman center. She had 11 rebounds in the victory. It was the third time this season she pulled down 10 or more boards. The highest amount she had in her young career was 18 when they beat Colts Neck.

Fiore, who was a 1,000 point scorer last season as a junior, had a battle all night. She was playing guard and forward and was getting banged around, but if you have seen her play, she can also get physical. Fiore and Sayson each finished with five points.

In the stands was St. Rose High School and head coach Christine Hatfield. The Purple Roses are 18-4 overall this season and are the three seed in the tournament. They will host Shore Regional on February 13, in the first round of the tournament.

“They play a very aggressive defense, and I’m impressed with how they swarm and play as a team,” said Hatfield. This past summer, Hatfield set a record as the first woman to coach a Jersey Shore Basketball League team. The JSBL is a men’s league that features Division 1 players, professionals and former professionals. Hatfield coached Sterns Trailer, which won the 2024 title. “Offensively, they rely on several girls, but as you can see tonight, others have stepped up. I have my entire team here tonight to watch Shore, as I expect a really good game against them.”

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