Asbury Park Press from Asbury Park, New Jersey • Page 22

fl ASBURY PAEK EVENING PRESS, Mar. 2, H7 NeptuneScrapesPastMillville959-56 assists bv CoDeland end Jones MEDFORD TOWNSHIP foul shots by Kerry Duke and Ken O'Donnell to pull out their them in front, 38-37. They were behind 8-15 after the first period and 26-34 at half time, but outscored Millville, 23-11, for a 49-45 ede to open the final quarter. Dale Finch paced a rally by the Thunderbolts in the last period which ctught the Fliers. He scored eight of Millville's 11 points in the last period, a goal and two foul shots by him bringing the Thunderbolts from brttnd 52-55 lead with 1:50 left They hit on 17 of 23 tries, while Millville made good on 12 of 15 while outscoring the Fliers in field goals, 22-21.

Foul shooting kept Neptune in the game in the second period when eight of their 18 points came on free throws. Neither team shot well from the floor, both getting off 54 shots for percentages around .390. Duke's rebounding, with big on the clock. Finch stole a pass from Neptune with 37 seconds to play and Larry Brown missed a short one-hander. Ed Copeland rebounded with 16 seconds remaining, but Millville again took the ball from the Fliers and Bob Hutchlngs got two more shots at the basket before the final buzzer, both bouncing off the rim.

Accuracy from the foul line pulled out the win for Neptune. 25th win in 27 games. Mill-ville's Thunderbolts ended their season with a 13-9 record. Neptune plays Trenton Central at 8 p.m. Friday at Ewing Township High School.

Trenton Central beat Vineland, 77-63, Tuesday. The Fliers trailed from the tap-off last night until midway through the third quarter when a goal by O'Donnell put Branch Scares Lakewood a ---y wmmmmtmmmmm it i i i jr I A 1 'W ITS ff "A yy st hL-y Dick McPherson (55), Asbury Park, makes mighty effort to wrest ball from Manasquan's Phil Schwier (42), as team-mate Ken Higgins (41) moves in. Asbury Park won, 79-58. (Press Photo) Rebounding Spurs Asbury Park Win performances. In addition to grabbing many rebounds, Toomer led both teams in scoring with 24 points.

Bill Nonnenberg, who also did well in rebounding, chipped in with 15 points, two more than Ike Boynton. Manasquan gave the Bishops a terrific battle in the first half mainly on the strength of some Neptune High School's basketball team scraped through its first test in the N.J. State Interscholastic Athletic Association tournament last right with a 59-56 over Millville. The game was played at Lenape Regional High. The Neptune Fliers, shooting for the state Group 4 championship, trailed by a point with 1:50 remaining and scored the last four points of the game on Long ASBURY PARK Held off balance by an upstart Long Branch team for three quarters of the game, Lakewood moved away in the last period last night to salvage a 65-60 triumph in N.J.

State Interscholastic Athletic Association Central Jersey Group III basketball competition at Convention Hall. Lakewood advanced into a semifinal pairing with South Plainfield at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Woodbridge High School gymnasium. "We nearly had it, but it slipped away," moaned Long Branch Coach Bob Walsack after the final buzzer. Lakewood Coach Bob Nastase breathed a sigh of relief and immediately started thinking of South Plainfield, the team his Piners edged, 46-44, in last year's CJ Group III final.

Branchers End 12-9 Long Branch played its top game of a season that ended with a 12-9 record in giving Lakewood's tourney hopes a mighty scare. It was the 19th victory in 23 games for the Piners. There was nothing to choose between the teams until the windup of the third quarter Black Helen 'Cap Comes Down to Wire MIAMI, Fla. Mac's Sparkler won a great stretch duel with Straight Deal in the $65,000 Black Helen Handicap at Hialeah yesterday and only a head separated them at the fin ish. Malhoa came to be third, two lengths back, and Prides Profile was fourth in the field of 13 fillies and mares in the 25th running of this rich event Mac's Sparkler, owned by Jack J.

Dreyfus of New York trained by H. Allen Jerkens anc ridden by William Boland at 117 pounds, took the lead shortly after they turned into the back- stretch and set the stage for a thrilling race. Straight Deal, owned by Mrs. Ethel D. Jacobs and packing top weight of 122 pounds under Robert Ussery, was favorite at $1.20 to $1 but couldn't whip the winner in the furious stretch drive.

Mack's Sparkier paid $9.20, $4, and $3.20. Straight Deal returned $3 and $2.40 while Malhoa under Jorge Velasquez at 116 pounds, was $3.60 to show. After the first four came Pepperwood, Indian Sunlite, Darlin Phyllis, Yasta, Shade II, Alondra II, Miss Dickey, Trackless and Fiamma. Ussery rode the winner of his career when he scored a six-length victory on Tartan Stables' Brunch in the third race. Lakewood's Ben (Beanie) Ballard gets off jump shot despite 'tough Long Branch defense.

Left to right are Long Branch's Andy Thorns, Ballard, Long Branch's Lamar Drinks, Lakewood's Jose DeCausey, and Long Branch's Don Odom. Lakewood won, 65-60. (Other photo next page). (Press Photo) South River Ousts Brick when the Piners opened a six-point gap at 46-40. They stretched it to 56-46 early in the final period but the never-say-die Branchers fought right back to narrow it to 60-58 with 1:52 remaining.

The backboard strength of Hal Sutton end Jose DeCausey gave Lakewood five of the next seven points and the five-point triumph. Tied Four Times Down 19-13 after one period, Long Branch pulled into the first tie of the game at 21-21 on Lamar Drinks' rebound shot. The teams were tied four times through the action-filled second quarter. After three more deadlocks In the third quarter, Lakewood's big Sutton blasted his way into a layup shot after atrebound and added a foul for a 40-37 lead that was never relinquished. Ben (Beanie) Ballard pumped in two baskets, on a long drive and a layup, followed by a steal, in the last minute of the quarter for a 46-40 gap.

Sutton's rebounding and Ballard's outside shooting set up a 56-46 Piner lead with 5:47 left to play but the Branchers, stealing the ball and taking advantage of some miserable Lakewood foul shooting, registered 13 of the next 17 points tfo make it 60-58. Bentlev Odom's three consecutive long jumpers carried the Branchers back into contention. But Drinks, a Brancher power under the boards, fouled out at this stage. Hopes for the upset vanished when the Branchers' Joe Jones missed an easy lay-up and Sutton tossed in a fo il shot and the rebound of his sec ond try from the line. Joe Jones and Jose DeCausey traded baskets in the final half-minute.

With the seconds ticking off, Bentley Odom's long shot missed the mark. Consistently good shooting kept Long Branch in the thick of things The Branchers hit 14 of 27 floor shots in the first half, and 11 of 25 in the second for an over-all mark of 25-52 for 48.7 per cent Lakewood was a poorer 13-33 in the first half, and 15-38 in the second half for an over-all 28-71 and 39.7 per cent. From the foul line, Long Branch was 10-15 to Lakewood's 9-21 The Piners had nine foul tries in the last quarter and made only one of them Sutton had four of these misses and DeCausey three. Bentley Odom, a slender backcourt man who played much of the game with blood streaming from a mouth cut, was the game's top scorer with 19 points John Richardson's 18 and Ballard's 15 led the Piners Lakewood had a 36-20 rebounding edge. LAKEWOOD LONG BR.WCfl Sutton 1 13 Thorns Clones 3 0 8 4 0 8 5 5 15 9 1 19 2 3 7 2 15 Pichardson DeCausey Ballard Nadler Paabo 6 2 18 1 13 JJones 7 1 1 2 4' Drinks 0 2 2 D.

Odom 28 9 65 Lakewood 19 12 Lon Branch 13 18 Officials Wolf, Berlin 25 10 60 15 19-65 9 20-60 FREEHOLD Asbury Park High School blasted its way into the Central Jersey Group 3 semifinal round of the N.J. State Interscholastic Athletic Association Basketball Tournament last night by trouncing Manasquan, 79-58, at Freehold Regional High School in the second half of a tourney dou-bleheader. Hightstown ousted Henry Hudson Regional, 54-52, in the opener. With two tourney victories under its belt, Asbury Park will collide with South River at 9 p.m. Saturday at Asbury Park Convention Hall.

The Blue Bishops were tremendous against a spirited though outclassed Manasquan quintet. At that, it was not un til the final period when the Bishops scored 26 points that the game became one-sided. Bishops Are 13-11 It was 13th win in 24 games for the Blue Bishops. Manasquan concluded its season with a 15-6 record. The deciding factor was rebounding where the Bishops enjoyed a 46-22 margin.

Dick McPherson, Asbury Park's recently acquired 6-8 center, was the difference. He was vicious off the boards and chipped in with 18 points, mostly on rebounds. Helping McPherson off the boards was Art Toomer, who turned in one of his greatest and the The Bishops' shooting was truly outstanding as they canned 33 of their 66 shots. Manasquan made 24 of 68 shots. Asbury Park Coach Bill Ulrich said, "Our rebounding was too jmuch for Manasquan.

They could not handle McPherson. Kendle did a great job of guarding Miller in the second half and Too-mer's rebounding was also excellent." Manasquan Coach Ron (Doc) Nine said, "it was just too much McPherson. Those three missed layups in the first half also hurt. Our boys played well and never quit. We nave nothing to be ashamed of.

Rebounding beat us. "All our boys played well. Miller was real hot in the first half and Burdge played the best game of his career." ASBURY PARK MAVASOT'AV Boynton 5 Nonnenberi 5 Kendle 3 Toomer 10 McPherson 9 Balowe 0 James 0 Rosen 0 Massey 0 Plnkston 1 Willman 0 Miller HlgflM Hirst Cown Schwier Cattle Thompson Kllllan Burdge 10 0 4 3 1 1 3 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 4 34 10 51 33 13 Asbury Park Manasquan Officials Palala, 13 23 17 26-79 11 17 li 15-51 Clcarell the Admirals in front most of the time. They only missed four of their 26 foul shots. Hightstown muffed eight of 22.

The Admirals also had the rebounding edge. HIGHTSTOWN HEKKT HUDSON OFF 23 Bozza 4 1 9 Hendricks 0 3 3 15! Bovd 6 78 3: Riley 3 6 12 0 Mahler 2 6 10 3 Mewet 0 0 0 4i 15 22 52 Hannas McKnidht Johnson Parrlsh Parks Owens Maley Sumbry 9 3 4 7 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 20 14 54 I 11 in is isna Hightstown Henry Hudson Officials 14 14 i2 ia-52 i Kovaleskl, Skillman used its combination zone man-for-man defense all way. in the latter stages of the game cave Nentune an edge under the boards, but sloppy passing kept the liers in not water. Duke pulled down 15 rebounds nnrl fYinptanrl nnrl picht each. Sophomore Alan Shaw was the big reDounder tor Millville with 11.

Jones led the scorers with 17 for the Fliers and Hammonds netted 13. Finch hit 16, Shaw 12, and Chris Riley 10 paced the Thunderbolts. NEPTUVE Mn.Lvn.iE OFF OFF Copeland Duke Jones O'Donnell Becker Hammmdf Calderon IS Rawn 10 8 4 0 8 4 4 12 5 I 16 4 1 19 10 4 4 ft i Brown 3 17 Shaw a 7 1 5 3 13 0 0 Finch Rile? Hutchlnes 21 17 59 22 12 5a I It 1) 10-6 Heptune Millville 19 11 11-54 Officials Mclnlyre. Nolan SPORTS SCHEDULE Today BASKETBALL NJSIAA Tournament At Freehold Reg. U.S.

Shore Reg. vs. Pennington (8) Garden State Elementary School Tournament at Asbury Park Convention Hall Bradley vs. H. W.

Mountz 3 Bangs Avenue vs. St. Peter's (Point Pleasant) 4 Trenton Owls vs. So. Plainfield -5 GOLF Shore Winter League tournament, Ft.

Monmouth G.C. Tomorrow SWIMMING Monmouth College Interscholastic Invitational Championship (5) District 31, NAIA Championships, Monmouth College (8:30) TRACK New Brunswick at Asbury Park (4) Conv. Hall WRESTLING District 31, NAIA Championships, Monmouth College (8) BASKETBALL NJSIAA Tournament At Toms River U.S. Southern Reg. vs Central Reg.

(8) At Ewing Twp. H.S. Neptune vs. Trenton Central (8) At Freehold Reg. H.S.

St. Rose vs. Gloucester Catholic (8) (8) (WJLK) At Highland Park H.S. Christian Brothers vs. St.

Joseph's (Metuchen), (8) Garden State Elementary School Tournament at Asbury Park Convention Hall Freehold Twp. vs. Keansburg 3 Keyport vs. Scotch Plains 4 St. Apes vs.

St. Ann's 5 Saturday BASKETBALL NJSIAA Tournament At Woodbridge H.S. Lakewood vs. South Plainfield (8) (WJLK) At Asbury Park Convention Hall Hightstown vs. Keyport (7:30) Asbury Park vs.

South River (9) WRESTLING NJSIAA Championships, n- vention Hall 10, 2) District 31, NAIA Championships, Monmouth College (10-2-7) SWIMMING District 31, NAIA Championships, Monmouth College (1) BOWLING Monmouth County Jr. Championships, Airport Plaza (12) NJSIAA Basketball NORTH JERSEY Cllffsld Park 50 Paramus 47 (Sect. Or. 4) Rlrer Dell 102 Demarest 77 (Or. 3) Old Tappan 72 Sparta 56 (Or.

3 Tenafly 66 Ramsev 47 (Gr. 21 Mountain (W.O.) 63 Oranire 57 (Or. 3) Cedar Grove 75 Klnnelon 58 (Or. 1) New Providence 55 Irvington Tech 52 (Gr. 2) Seton Hall 57 St.

Joseph's (Mont.) 65 (Par. A St. Cecilia's 83 St. Mary's (Ruth) 74 (Par. B) P'Burg- Catholic 58, St.

Mlchael'i (J.Clty) 56 (Par. B) CENTRAL JERSEY Lakewood 65 Long Branch 60 (Or. 3) South River 65 Brick Twp. 46 (Or. 3) Asbury Park 79 Manasquan 58 (Or.

3) Keyport 77 Delaware Valley Reg. 63 (Gr. 1) Hightstown 54 Henry Hudson Reg. .52 (Gr. 1) SOUTH JERSEY Neptune 59 Millville 58 (Or.

4) Willlngboro 44 Atlantic City 39 (Or. 4) HAWKS TO HOST DISTRICT EVENT WEST LONG BRANCH-District 31 playoffs of the NAIA Basketball Tournament will be held Monday, and Tuesday nights at Monmouth College with a trip tt Kansas City for the finals as a prize to the winner. Monmouth College meets Southampton at 7 p.m. and Montclair plays Trenton State at 9 in a game which also will decide the New Jersey State College championship. The winners will meet at 8 m.

Tuesday for the district championship. Buy Now, Use Your 'Easy Charge" great outside shooting by Dan Miller and Ken Higgins in the second quarter. Miller, who led Manasquan in scoring with 20 points, popped in four outside jumpers and Higgins fired in three during the second quarter. Burdge Stands Out Manasquan played without its second highest scorer, Glen Ford, but his substitute, Al Burdge, gave the finest perfor mance in his career. Burdge was the Big Blue's 6 high est scorer with 16 points.

Higgins made six of his 11 points in the second period. The Bishops swirled off to a 6-0 lead at the outset but Manasquan scored the next six points to tie the score. Asbury Park then built up a 13-7 lead only to have the Big Blue score the last four points of the first period baskets by Burdge and Miller to cut Asbury Park's lead to 13-11. Asbury Park stuck to a man-for-man defense the entire game but kept McPherson under the defensive board. The Big Blue town in the first two periods 14-u and 14-10.

Boyd accounted for 12 of his 18 points in the first half to lead the Admirals' early attack- Scott Riley ac counted for al of his 12 Doints in the first half. The Admirals stuck to their man-for-man defense for the en tire game. Hightstown utilized a 1-2-2 zone all the way. iiigntstown Hannas led both teams in scoring with 23 points, eignt oi tnem in tne unal period. Accuracy at the foul line kept South River took 20 more shots than Brick, 66-46, and converted 23 of them for a 34.8 per cent.

Brick was better at 43.8, but had only 19 field goals. South River was a good 17-25 from the foul line to Brick's 8-15. Brick fell behind, 6-0, in the first two minutes and was as close as two points enly twice the rest of the way. Theismann's long one-hander, and DeGumba's jumper and two fouls gave the Rams their early lead which was never relinquished. It was 17-7 late in the quarter but baskets by Dan Seme and Eric Overson of Brick clipped it to 19-13 at the buzzer.

Two baskets and a foul by Latour, two jumpers by Eric Overson, and a foul by Bob (Bones) Thompson boosted Brick back into contention at 25-23 with two minutes left in the half. After the teams swapped baskets, Tom Matthews and Skarzynski hit on Ram field goals for a 33-27 half-time spread. Passes Go Wild Outpositioned under the backboards, Brick also began tossing away passes and missing easy chances in its third-quarter lapse. Two foul shots by Latour comprised Brick's scoring total in the period. Dan Seme's driving layup with 6:58 left in the game finally snapped Brick's dry spell.

Some improved shooting by beme, Thompson and Phil Cas ASBURY PARK South River, 88-67 conqueror of Red Bank last week, picked up another easy victory over a Shore team in the N.J. State Interscholastic Athletic Association Central Jersey Group III Basketball Tournament action last night by humbling Brick Township, 65-46, at Convention Hall. South River gained a CJ Group III semifinal pairing with Asbury Park at 9 p.m. Saturday at Convention Hall. Brick's Green Dragons made a game of it for half the game but after the intermission went into a field goal drought that lasted for nine minutes and saw their tourney hopes fly out the window.

South River parlayed a 13-2 third quarter advantage into an unheataDie 4s-za ieaa witn eignt minutes left. Brick staged a mild rally midway through the final period to cut the gap to 10 points, 5444, but South River piled up 11 of the final 13 points to wrap up the one-sided triumph. South River had the rebounding edge, 38-25, and used it to set up numerous fast breaks and easy baskets. John Skarzynski, Joe Theis-mann, and Ron DeGumba gave the Rams a solid 1-2-3 punch that dominated the game's scoring and rebounding. Skarzynski netted 18 points and Theismann and DeGumba put in 16 apiece.

Dan Seme, with 13, and Al Latour, with 11, were Brick's only men in double figures. Fouls Cost Hudson Game sidy carried Brick back into things at 54-44. But Theismann countered with two free throws and a basket, Skarznyski with four points the same way, and Witkowski with a pair of jumpers as the Rams pulled out of any trouble. The lopsided loss meant the end of Brick winningest bas ketball season in history Coach George Sevastakis' pa pils won 15 of 21 games this win ter Their standout season included a second place finish in the Shore Conference's A Division and a nine-game win ning streak South River will carry a 15-8 record into the Asbury Park clash. SOCTH FTVFIt BRICK TWP.

Skarzynski 6 6 IS latour 3 3 6 0 0 4 1 2 5 11 2 8 1 13 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 2 0 4 Theismann I)e dumb Peteet L.WitkowsU Matthews Faust Pearson 2 16 Thompson 8 16 Seme 0 0Cassldv 0 6 1 Damadlo 1 9 Overson 0 0' Pierce 0 0 Tally I Crawford 24 17 651 19 8 46 13 19-65 South Elver 19 14 Brick 13 14 2 1746 Officials Senecke, Lockenmeyer 5 Parimutuel Payoff Urged MIAMI BEACH, Fla- Ul The National Association of Rac ing Commissioners recommended yesterday a cut in the mini mum payoff at the country's parimutuel windows from 10 to 5 per cent. Such a move, the commission ers said in a position paper, "will eliminate in a substantial way the attraction to profession al players and at the same time have little or no effect on the great majority of racing fans." Salvino Leading Ebonite Open EDISON UP) Carmen Salvino of Chicago averaged 242 for six games te lead the first round yesterday in the Professional Bowlers' Association $50,000 Ebonite Open. Salvina hit 1.455 on games of 251, 249, 266, 227, 254, and 208. Mike Durbin Costa Mesa, was in second place with 1,416. The top five will shoot for first prize in Saturday's nationally televised final.

miL STAPWllSCS I. Fts GF GA 33 13 9 75 204 130 27 21 8 62 154 143 24 21 10 58 149 158 22 24 10 54 137 151 22 31 4 48 1H9 183 Chicaco New York Toronto Montreal Detroit Boston IS 33 9 39 145 193 Yesterday's Resnlts Toronto 1, Montreal 1, tie Chicago 6, New York 1 Today Chicago at Boston tq FREEHOLD Henry Hudson Regional High School blew a nine-point lead in the final period and was ousted from the 49th annual N.J. State Interscholastic Athletic Association Basketball Tournament last night by Hightstown, 54-52. An estimated crowd of 1,000 saw the Central Jersey Group I first-round game at Freehold Regional High School. The Hudson Admirals, defending sectional Group I champions, finished their season with an even split in 24 games.

It was the 14th victory in 22 starts for Hightstown, which places them in the sectional semifinal at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Asbury Park Convention Hall against Keyport. Fouls Cost Game Repeated fouls early in the final period cost the Admirals the game after they scored the first five points of the final quarter to take their biggest lead, 45-36. Within 65 seconds, Hightstown cut the Admirals' lead to 45-42 three pairs of conversions four by Joe Johnson and a pair by Craig Hannas. Hightstown cut the Admirals' 1 a to 47-46 midway through the final period on a corner jumper by Johnson, who scored nine of his 15 points in the final period, and a jumper by Hannas.

Hightstown went ahead for the first time since early in the ODenin? neriod. 50-49. on a corner set by Hannas and a tap- in by Johnson with 3:51 left. Les Hendricks tied the score for Hudson by sinking one of two ioul shots. Hightstown took a 53-50 lead with 20 seconds to play on a foul by Johnson and a drive by Hannas.

The Admirals' dying effort was a corner jump by Rich Mahler with 10 seconds to play. Richie Parrish's conver sion iced the victory for Hights town. Play Without Motley The Admirals played without their star, Harry Motley, who was injured in a recent automo bile accident. But with Rich Bozza and Mark Boyd rebounding well, Henry Hudson held the lead most of the game. Henry Hudson led, 28-21, at the half, by outscoring Hights vfix I' 1 iff P.

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TO Phone 774-0900 South River's Drew Pearson does a split and comes down with a rebound in 65-46 victory over Brick Township last night. At left are South River's Ron DeGumba (13) and Leon Witkowski (12). At right is Brick's Phil Cassidy (5). South River won, 65-46. (Press Photo) Henry Hudson's Richard Bozza (53) goes high to snatch ball from outstretched arm of Hightstown's Bob McKnight (23).

Also reaching are the Admirals' Lesley Hendricks (31) ond Craig Hannas (41), Hightstown. Hightstown won, 54-52. (Press Photo).