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Sports

Point Beach Boys Cruise in Opening Round of NJ State Tournament 75-40

Point Beach will play Bound Brook on Thursday

Point Beach easily disposed of East Brunswick Tech 75-40 in the opening round of the NJSIAA Tournament on Tuesday.

Point Beach's defense set an early tone holding the Tigers scoreless for the first six minutes of the contest.

The offensive cohesion that was invisible in the Shore Conference semi-final game against Rumson Fair Haven was back with a vengeance in East Brunswick.

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Point Beach started off the game on a 15-0 run with stifling defense and a beautifully-executed transition game on offense.  

"We came into this game with a chip on our shoulder," said Point Beach Head Coach Nick Catania. "We obviously weren't happy about the way we played the other day against Rumson and we knew we were capable of a lot better." 

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East Brunswick Tech struggled both in the paint and behind the 3-point arch. The eighth-seeded Tigers were held without a 3-point basket for the entire game.

"We knew going into this game that they (East Brunswick Tech) weren't the greatest shooting team," Catania said."Our defense was very aggressive early and did a great job of getting our offense into transition." 

Point Beach went on a 20-0 run to start the second quarter, turning a 15-6 lead into a 35-6 lead midway through the second quarter. The Gulls were led by the hot shooting of point guard Michael Rotando. 

The point guard who struggled mightily in the semi-final game against Rumson played exceptionally well against East Brunswick. Rotando netted a game high 16 points, all in the first half. 

"I didn't play well the other night, but I couldn't wait to get back out there," said Rotando. "I knew our season wasn't over, so getting out there and winning this game was awesome."

Rotando and the rest of the Point Beach starters were given the second half off by Catania. The Gulls led 53-12 at halftime. 

"It's nice to have the opportunity to give some of our younger guys the opportunity to get out there and play," said Catania. "But it was even more important to give our starters some rest before Thursday." 

With the win, the ninth-seeded Gulls advanced to the quarterfinals of the Central NJ Group 1 against the winner of top-seeded Bound Brook and Palmyra. 

"We want to get back to that big game, that big moment someway, somehow," said Catania.

For Point Beach that journey will continue on Thursday at 6:30 when the team plays Bound Brook.

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