The Middletown North boys basketball team had its back against the Wall heading into this weekend’s games against Manasquan and Wall.  The Lions were in desperate need of winning both games this week in order to qualify for the Shore Conference Tournament.  Not only did the Lions respond with two huge victories, but they are starting to play with some confidence going down the stretch run of their season and entering tournament play.  The Lions scored a huge upset win versus Manasquan on Tuesday night by a score of 67-58.   A big reason for this success could be the senior leadership that has been starting to pay dividends as of late.  Seniors Dave Campbell, Tim McCann, Sky Cherry, Tyler Cimino, Mike Youncofski, and Jack Kenny have been key contributors to the Lions’ successful week.  What most people do not realize is that this success might not come from points scored, but strong defense and selfless ball movement.

The Lions have been getting the ball to their hot shooters in Junior Rob Higgins who scored 37 points and converted six three-pointers, while Senior David Campbell scored 22 points en route to the victory against Manasquan.  Campbell and Higgins combined for 61 of Middletown North’s 67 points on the night.  That was only half of this week’s needed win total.  The Lions hosted Wall High School on Thursday and were looking for the combination win to send them to the SCT.  Fortunately for Coach Mike Iasparro and the Lions, Higgins and Campbell played significant roles in the 84-83 victory.   Rob Higgins scored 23 points, including a fourth quarter steal to seal the game for Middletown North.  The Lions will enter tournament play with a 10-10 record on the season.  Coach Iasparro likes what he has seen from his team lately and hopes that it continues into the final month of the season.