Barnegat Rally Falls Short at WOBM Christmas Classic

After getting off to a slow start in the first half, Barnegat's boys basketball team found a rhythm.

Unfortunately for the Bengals, they found their rhythm too late, as they scored 18 points in the fourth quarter but fell just short of beating Toms River South. The Indians (1-0) beat the Bengals (0-1) 42-40 in the opening round of the WOBM Christmas Classic on Saturday.

Barnegat will face Point Boro in the losers bracket at 11 a.m. in the Toms River North gym on Monday, Dec. 26, when the tournament resumes.

Barnegat had drawn to with four points at 41-37 when Anthony McGugan, who had 8 of Barnegat's 18 fourth-quarter points, hit a three-pointer to bring the Bengals to within a point of Toms River South's lead. They then fouled Toms River South's Marquis Davie, sending him to the line for two shots. Davie missed the first but made the second, giving Toms River South a 42-40 lead with 10.2 seconds left.

Barnegat inbounded the ball and quickly got upcourt, and despite a shot and four attempts to tip the ball in, it simply refused to fall, giving South the victory.