WOBM Christmas Classic Resumes Monday

Winter break is typically a smorgasbord for the high school basketball junkie. And while there are lots of places to find Shore Conference teams playing this week, few compare to the WOBM Christmas Classic.

The tournament resumes today at the campus of Toms River North, with the consolation round of the tournament kicking with two games at 11 a.m. (The girls half of the tournament resumes on Tuesday.)

With eight games – including the four quarterfinals running consecutively beginning at 2:30 p.m. – it’s a hoop lover’s dream, especially if you appreciate the game at the high school level.

And there’s plenty to appreciate: aggressive play, confident shooting, and exciting defense. There were two overtime games, with the Brick Memorial boys team holding off Wall in double overtime, and the Shore Regional girls outlasting Toms River North in their overtime contest, and both were exciting.

Wall had to rally from nine points down after the third quarter and tied the game at the buzzer, then the teams battled through the first overtime before Brick Memorial pulled away on the sheer will of point guard Vince Lombardi.

Toms River North rallied from an eight-point deficit against Shore, with Kendal Kaufmann scoring 11 points, including hitting one of two free throws after time expired to send the game into overtime.

But Shore pulled away in the overtime by hitting 9 of 13 free throws, including 4 of 6 by Emily Olsen.

As has been the case most years, the girls side of the tournament has gone according to the seedings. 

Manasquan and Point Boro are on track to meet in the championship game, and if that happens it will be an interesting matchup between Manasquan’s Michaela Mabrey and Point Boro’s Kelly Hughes.

Mabrey, who’s committed to Notre Dame, is a commanding presence on the floor, in terms of both her height (she’s 5-foot-11) and her abilities. At times she seems more like a coach than a high school senior.

Boro’s Hughes has similar qualities, infusing Point Boro with so much confidence in the first half that its starters were cheering from the bench by the second quarter.

On the boys side, in addition to Brick Memorial, Manchester and St. Rose are both big and strong and should challenge Jackson.

While the quarterfinal rounds won’t have the same feel as the opening round – like being a live, though miniaturized NCAA Tournament, where you could move from one game in Pine Belt Arena to the next in the Toms River North gym and back again, based on your interest – it should have the effect of bringing more competitive teams together.

Here’s the schedule for the action today and Tuesday:

Today’s Boys Schedule

Consolations

11 a.m. Central vs. Red Bank Catholic, Pine Belt Arena

11 a.m. Barnegat vs. Point Boro, Toms River North gym

12:45 p.m. Wall vs. Toms River East, Pine Belt Arena

12:45 p.m. Ocean vs. Brick, Toms River North gym

Quarterfinals at Pine Belt Arena

2:30 p.m. Toms River North vs. Manchester

4:15 p.m. Brick Memorial vs. St. Rose

6 p.m. Toms River South vs. Lacey

7:45 p.m. Southern vs. Jackson

Tuesday’s Girls Schedule

11 a.m. Toms River South vs. Manchester, Pine Belt Arena

11 a.m. Southern vs. Wall, Toms River North gym

12:45 p.m. Lacey vs. Ocean, Pine Belt Arena

12:45 p.m. Toms River North vs. Barnegat, Toms River North gym

Quarterfinals at Pine Belt Arena

2:30 p.m. Donovan vs. Jackson Memorial

4:15 p.m. Brick Memorial vs. Point Boro

6 p.m. Toms River East vs. Rumson

7:45 p.m. Shore vs. Manasquan