Raiders Roundup: Wrestlers Open Shore Conference Tournament; Girls Basketball Cruising

The wrestling team will be looking to shake off a tough weekend when the Raiders take on Barnegat at 6:30 p.m. today in the preliminary round of the Shore Conference Tournament.

Toms River East, which lost to crosstown rival a week ago and fell to Brick (39-19), Middletown South (39-23) and dropped a close match to Marlboro, losing 38-33, has wrestled some tough competition this season, including Shore Conference power Brick Memorial, as well as perennially strong Hunterdon Central and Watchung Hills.

Tonight’s matchup will be a rematch for the Raiders and Bengals, who faced off 10 days ago, with Toms River East winning five straight bouts in the middle of the match, including three pins and a technical fall, to earn the victory. In that meeting, Toms River East’s lower weights were the key to the victory.

The winner of tonight’s match will advance to the Round of 16 on Thursday at Howell, where they will face off with the host at 5 p.m. for a chance at the quarterfinals.

In boys basketball: It has been a tough season for the Raiders so far. Toms River East opened the season with a win over Pinelands, but has found the victories tough to come by since. The Raiders (3-10, 0-6) are at the bottom of Class A South after a 51-37 loss to Toms River North on Friday. They face Southern, Central and Jackson Memorial this week.

In girls basketball: The Raiders (10-2, 5-1) are having a strong season and are coming off a victory over crosstown rival h, 47-41, on Friday night, where they held off a furious rally in the fourth quarter when the teams scored 19 points apiece. Kristen Kennedy had 13 points in the win. Toms River East is gearing up for a rematch on Friday with Jackson Memorial, which handed the Raiders their only Class A South defeat, back on Jan. 6. A victory over the Jaguars would give them an opportunity to claim a piece of the division crown.

In swimming: At the Ocean County Championships at the Ocean County YMCA, senior Brian Capozzola set meet record in the 50 freestyle, winning in 21.86 seconds. He broke the year-old mark of 22.02 set by Central’s Evan Mahoney. Capozzola also took second in the 100 freestyle and swam a leg of the 200 and 400 freestyle relays as the Raiders took second in both. Sophomore Jake Lewandowski was fifth in the 500 freestyle and swam a leg of the 400 free relay; freshman Dan Betts, who anchored the 200 free relay, swam a leg of the 400 free relay, was fourth in the 100 backstroke and fifth in the 200 freestyle, sophomore Tom Irwin was sixth in the 200 individual medley, and senior Zach Bechtle was sixth in the 100 breaststroke.

For the girls, senior sisters Cassidy and Colleen Morris, Kaitlyn Gillen and Alex Kaminsky took second in both the 200 and 400 freestyle relays and placed individually at the girls county championships. Cassidy Morris was second in the 50 freestyle and 100 breaststroke, Colleen Morris was third in the 100 freestyle and fourth in the 200. Kaminsky, a freshman, was sixth in the 100, and and Gillen, a sophomore, was fourth in the 50 and sixth in the 200.