Red Bank boys look to start trophy collection
BY VIN RAPOLLA
Staff Writer

Facing some high expectations coming into this season, the Red Bank Regional boys basketball team is certainly living up to the hype.

The Bucs have raced out of the gates this winter, putting together a 6-0 start that includes the team's first Buc Holiday Classic tournament title since 2003. Red Bank claimed that title on Saturday with a 51-47 win over a solid Elizabeth team in the final.

Now that the Bucs have proved to be as good as advertised, they enter one of their toughest stretches of the season - with six games over the next 10 days, against some of the Shore Conference's top teams.

The challenges keep coming for a team that hopes to challenge some more hardware in the weeks ahead.

"It's not going to be easy over the next few weeks," said head coach Scott Martin, now in his sixth season. "It's still early in the season, so the next couple of weeks will really determine where we stand. We'll see coming up who we're really better than."

Much of Red Bank's early success can be traced back to last season. The Bucs are coming off a 13-14 season with many of the losses coming by single digits and to some of the best teams in the state.

And now that they are playing well, it hasn't taken long for people around the state to notice - as evidenced by their recent appearance in a state top 20 poll.

"We know we have a good team, we just didn't think we'd be in the top 20 this early," said Martin. "With the experience of playing top teams, the guys really learned from last year and are finding ways to win ball games."

With the majority of his team returning from last season, Martin feels the experience will give them that edge that may get the team over the hump.

Another advantage they have shown early on is their size. RBR is one of the only teams in the Shore Conference with six players over 6-3, including a pair of guards. Led by senior co-captains Kyle Fitzgerald and Casey Peters, the Bucs, who are currently ranked third in the Shore, have been dominating teams in the paint.

"We're doing a good job controlling the boards and in the paint," said Martin. "These guys are one year older and are wiser, stronger and better."

Also contributing to the Bucs' perfect season thus far have been senior Aaron Turner and juniors Matt PeBole, Ryan Peters and William Sanborn.

"One of these guys always finds a way," said Martin. "With our depth, we try and find a mismatch and take advantage of it. With our size, other teams have had some problems matching up."

In the Buc Classic final on Saturday, RBR used its size to combat a smaller, quicker Elizabeth, with Casey Peters leading the way offensively with 11 points on his way to claiming the tournament's Most Valuable Player award. Fitzgerald, who scored a team-high 12 points, and Ryan Peters also helped set the tone offensively, as RBR built up a 24-15 lead by halftime, before the Minutemen used a strong third-quarter rally to get within two points.

However, RBR responded with a 10-point run at the end of the third quarter to pad a lead they would never fully relinquish.

With the Buc Classic title under their belts, RBR can now set its sights on securing what is sure to be a difficult Class A Central title to claim. This may be the Shore's toughest division this year, with the Bucs, Bayshore Holiday Tournament-winning St. John Vianney (6-0), and WOBM Tournament-winners Raritan (7-1) all playing extremely well early on.

Add to the mix an improving Holmdel squad, as well as a Manasquan team coming off a 22-5 season, and you begin to understand why the A Central Division is as highly regarded as it is.

Martin is well aware that the season is still young, but is confident in his senior-laden team. In the next few weeks, look to the Bucs to become even more dominate under the basket, taking full advantage of their size and experience.

"We're excited over the possibilities, and we're looking forward to the rest of the season," said Martin.

The Bucs start their six-game stretch tonight at St. John Vianney in a match-up that will eliminate one of the two teams from the ranks of the unbeaten.

Notes... St. John Vianney's Bayshore Tournament title didn't come easy. They were tested in the finals by a tough Shore Regional team that proved to be up to the challenge of taking on one of the Shore's top teams.

SJV rode the solid play of Eric Johannsen (23 points, 16 rebounds) to claim the title, 53-39, but not before the Blue Devils made them earn the championship. Led by Gary Knoeppel's 14-point, 11-rebound effort, the Blue Devils had the lead down to just five points with just over six minutes left to play, before Vianney put the game out of reach with back-to-back scores.

Shore was then upset by Keansburg on Tuesday, 37-34, to fall to 5-2 on the year. However, head coach Rich Sherman's squad has the talent to compete for the B Central title, but will likely need to go through Asbury Park (6-0) to win it.