Second Half Powers RFH Past Ocean

By Walter J. O’Neill, Jr.

Ryan Pringle, head coach of the Ocean Township Spartans, led his squad to a divisional title this season, only the second such honor in the last 53 years.

For the first time in decades, the Spartans of Ocean Township hosted an NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group 2 boys’ basketball semifinals on March 3. The Spartans, third seed in the bracket, hosted the seventh seed Bulldogs of Rumson Fair Haven.

At tip off, the gym was packed with fans and students from both schools. The first half of action was dominated by the Spartans. Rumson Fair-Haven had a tremendous second half winning the game 67-58. They will advance to the finals, for the third consecutive year and face Manasquan for the third straight year.

“Tonight hurt. But I was really proud of our kids, not just in the loss to Rumson Fair-Haven, but all season for the way they handled adversity early in the season and how they consistently showed up to work each day,” said Ryan Pringle, head coach at Ocean. He added that the players really grew together and played the kind of basketball that people enjoy watching.

Ocean had jumped out to a 16-11 first quarter lead, running, making great passes and shooting from all over the floor. The second quarter was much tighter with Ocean taking a 17-15 advantage and a 33-26 halftime lead.

The biggest reason for the Bulldogs second-half surge was 6’9” senior Luke Cruz, who finished with double-double; 31 points and 11 rebounds. In the third quarter, Cruz scored 14 points as RFH had a 14-5 run on the Spartans.

Going into the final eight minutes of the game, Ocean held a slight 51-49 lead. The Bulldogs had tremendous defense to close out the game outscoring Ocean 18-7. The win gave the Dogs a 19-8 overall record, while Ocean ends their season at 19-10.

Leading the Spartans with 17 points in the 67-58 loss to Rumson Fair-Haven was Omar Ayyash (4) a freshman with 17 points.

“It’s kind of hard to put the season into words, but I think overall the team has a lot to be proud of. Having 19 wins is the most since 1973. Winning the Shore Conference B Central title is only the second in the last 53 years,” said Pringle. Of course he and the players were disappointed in the outcome, but they were thrilled to see how much support they received with a packed gym.

“As for the game, I thought Rumson won it more than we lost it. We gave them everything we had and we shot the ball as well as any team I’ve coached. In the end, their size and strength was a little too much for us,” Pringle said.

The future will be bright for the Spartans as they started two freshman brothers; Omar and Ahmad Ayyash, and sophomore Brody Bell. Omar finished with 17 points, Bell had 12, Justice Hodges a junior had 11, Aidan Saint Louis ended his high school career with eight points. Vernon Taylor, senior, had a three-point bucket and Junior Dormeus, a senior guard, had two points.

Cruz was high man for RFH with those 31 points. Teammates Blake Ahmann and Zach Halpern each had 12 points. Ahmann also pulled down nine rebounds. “Credit Luke Cruz because he showed up again in the biggest moments when his team needed him the most. He is a winner,” said Pringle.

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