Basketball Recap: Ava Coyle's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Shore Regional over Neptune

Shore Regional was the 57-54 winner over Neptune when they last played one another back in December of 2024, but their luck changed this time around. The Shore Regional Blue Devils took a 66-55 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Neptune Scarlet Fliers on Thursday. The Blue Devils have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Ava Coyle

Steals

01/28/25 @ Ocean Township	10
02/11/25 vs Middletown North	7
01/31/25 vs Marlboro	6
01/18/25 vs Raritan	6
01/09/25 vs Ocean Township	6
+ 19 more games

Several Blue Devils players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Ava Coyle, who posted 12 points in addition to seven boards and five assists. Coyle also grabbed five steals, which is notable because Shore Regional is 5-1 when she posts at least five steals, but 9-11 otherwise. Kimi Sayson was another key player, putting up 14 points and three steals.

Neptune's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Bre Evans led the charge by going 8-for-9 en route to 23 points and five steals. The dominant performance gave Evans a new career-high in points. Another player making a difference was Majiah Quarles, who dropped a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Shore Regional's loss dropped their record down to 14-12. As for Neptune, they pushed their record up to 12-11 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home.

The two teams are set to take part in some playoff action in their next matches. Shore Regional will face off against Highland Park on Wednesday. Shore Regional is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 51.8 points per game this season. As for Neptune, they will challenge Marlboro at 4:00 p.m. on Monday.