In the waning minutes of a Wednesday night thriller, Jersey Shore boys basketball found itself on the receiving end of a rally. Neumann had used the last two quarters to whittle down a nine-point Bulldog lead, and it had the moment heading into overtime.

However, Shore would steady the ship at the perfect time. With its District 4 Class 4A fifth seed on the line, it dominated the game’s only overtime period, outscoring the Golden Knights 11-2 to close the regular season with a 76-67 win.

Within that stanza, Tucker Hanna (15 points, 7 rebounds) and Khani McCray combined to go 5-for-6 from the free-throw line while Carson Watkins added two crucial baskets. The Bulldogs held an offense that generated 15 or more points in a quarter thrice on the night to just two points through five minutes, a crucial aspect of the win.

Neumann got large second half contributions from Daiton Thompson and Avery Taddeo to settle the score. Thompson logged 16 of his 23 points through the final two quarters while Taddeo hit two three-pointers.

Legend Dillard and Jahki Brister finished with 15 and 14 points respectively, combining for 13 points and three treys in a high-scoring first quarter. Dillard contributed Neumann’s lone basket in overtime, Taddeo finished with eight points and Zaidyn Diehl-Romano added seven.

Three Bulldogs alongside Hanna finished in double figures. Jacob Lorson contributed 13 points alongside four steals, and Landon Lathan (6 assists) and Breylon Guerrero each finished with 12. All five starters scored in both the first and second quarter, as Shore went into halftime with a 41-32 lead.

With the win, Jersey Shore (10-12) clinched the No. 5 seed in the District 4 Class AAAA playoffs and will face Mount Carmel (14-8) in quarters. St. John Neumann (11-11) maintains its No. 4 seed and will face East Juniata (8-14) in Class AA.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Jersey Shore 76, Neumann 67 (OT)

NEUMANN (67)

Daiton Thompson 8 5-6 23; Legend Dillard 5 3-4 15; Zaidyn Diehl-Romano 3 0-0 7; Avery Taddeo 3 0-0 8. Jahki Brister 3 7-13 14. Totals 22 15-23 67.

JERSEY SHORE (76)

Carson Watkins 4 0-0 8; Khani McCray 1 5-6 8; Kalhl Harlan 1 0-0 2; Landon Lathan 5 2-4 12; Jacob Lorson 6 1-1 13; Breylon Guerrero 5 2-2 12; Ty McDermit 3 0-0 6. Tucker Hanna 6 3-3 15. Totals 31 13-16 76.

Neumann 22 10 17 16 2 – 67

J. Shore 22 19 14 10 11 – 76

Three-pointers: Neumann 8 (Thompson 2, Dillard 2, Taddeo 2, Diehl-Romano, Brister); Jersey Shore 1 (McCray).

Records: Neumann 11-11; Jersey Shore 10-12.

JV score: Jersey Shore 67-22.

JV high scorer: Abram Paulhamus 12.