Facing a storied Danville squad, the Bulldogs gave the two-time defending District 4 Class 4A champs all they could handle, giving themselves a shot at pulling off a memorable upset to keep their seasons alive another round. And though they’d fall just short, as the Ironmen held firm late to scrape by, 59-53, there was plenty of justified pride and assurance from the effort mixed in with the disappointment from the loss.

“Going from winning eight games through the last three seasons to winning 13 games and competing with two-time defending champ Danville, it’s just remarkable. Wish we could’ve pulled it out but couldn’t be any more proud of the guys,” said head coach Jon Boob on the effort. “That is the best effort that we gave all year. I couldn’t have asked for a better effort form those guys.”

With every member of the team experiencing their playoff debut, over an hour away from home no less, it was expected that the team would start slow as it adjusted to the moment.

But after finishing the first quarter down 18-3 and trailing by as many as 21 points through the second, things didn’t just start to click. They completely turned around, as multiple Bulldogs found the bottom of the net and the team established pressure defensively, putting together a 17-0 run.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Danville's Ben Koser (21) looks for a shot around Jersey Shore's Khani Mccray (32) and Ty McDermit (31) during a District 4 Class AAAA boys quarterfinal basketball game at Danville on Friday, Jan. 21, 2025.

With six minutes left in the half, point guard Landon Lathan fired a laser into standout Ben Dalton, who laid it up for a quick two to break the mold the Danville defense placed on him. Tucker Hannah and Jacob Lorson would follow him up by drilling back-to-back threes off back-to-back turnovers.

Then, sophomore Khani McCray stepped up off the bench, helping the team maintain that intensity.

Through the next two minutes of game time, McCray would attribute a block and defensive rebound to keep Danville from impacting the run and two steals that resulted in four points for the team, one which he took the distance himself to get the Bulldogs within four. He’d finish with four steals, six points and two assists – also proving impactful within a similarly great fourth quarter for the team.

“I’m quick and just recently started playing defense,” laughed McCray when discussing the keys to generating turnovers. “I was really just locked in from the start, sitting at the scorer’s table just thinking about wanting to do it for the seniors because they’ve been a big part of this, especially Ben Dalton. I just wanted to do it for them.”

Though the Ironmen would close out the half on a 5-0 run, that quarter served to raise Shore’s confidence, as any semblance of the struggles it endured through the first outside of a few misses and turnovers disappeared.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Jersey Shore's Landon Lathan (15) works his way around Danville's Mason Kingery (2) and Benjamin Koser (21) during a District 4 Class AAAA boys quarterfinal basketball game at Danville on Friday, Jan. 21, 2025.

A stout third quarter kept the Bulldogs in it, with Dalton adding six points to his eight in the second, McCray posting two assists and Jacob Lorson adding two steals to lead their effort to remain within striking distance. Then, they’d kick it up a notch with the quarterfinal on the line in the fourth, putting themselves in a spot to steal it in the game’s final minute.

Down 51-39 with under five minutes left, McCray would take another steal the distance to kick off their last hoorah, with Carson Watkins doing the same out the press to get Shore within ten with under three minutes to spare. Hannah and Dalton nailed back-to-back treys – both off assists from Lathan – to get within six and McCray finished on a coast-to-coast layup out of an inbounds to cap the run at 12-6, with the score reading 57-53.

From there, Danville’s defense clamped up, forcing a five-second call on an inbounds pass with Shore having a shot to get in within one possession. That, coupled with a four-point swing earlier in the run and Shore’s slow start, proved to be the difference.

But what a run it was. And though there was obvious disappointment following the defeat, Shore’s players masked it well underneath their pride.

“We tried our best, that’s all I really care about,” said McCray. “I expect everybody on this team to get better and I expect us to be district champions next year.”

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Jersey Shore's Ben Dalton (13) works his way around Danville's Nick Hand (24) during a District 4 Class AAAA boys quarterfinal basketball game at Danville on Friday, Jan. 21, 2025.

“We’ve been through a lot in terms of basketball just because of how hard the past couple years were but we’ve got 24 guys on this team that fought as hard as they needed to,” said Dalton. “I’m super proud of all these guys.”

In wrapping up a storied senior season, Dalton took off in the second quarter and never looked back, putting up 19 points, 7 rebounds and draining two crucial deep balls late to give the Bulldogs a chance. Though a win would obviously feel better, the senior leader was satisfied with the team’s effort and proud with its growth overall.

“It says enough right there that we lost by six points to the two-time defending champs. I know my first year as a varsity player, we played them and they were probably up 20 from tip-off pretty much,” laughed Dalton. “For us to improve that much over the time, that’s just what it means to me. It means everything.”

Though Dalton did the heavy lifting early, the supporting cast has grown around him, as the Bulldogs capped things off with their most complete performance as a team. Ten players impacted the scoreboard, and everyone hustled for every loose ball, every steal and rebound opportunity and every second of the 32 minutes of game time.

Apart from McCray, four other Bulldogs logged multiple steals in Landon Lathan (4 assists), Jacob Lorson (7points), Ty McDermitt (6 points, 2 assists) and Carson Watkins (2 rebounds). Tucker Hannah hit two threes, both in crucial times in the game, and Roman Dittman paced Dalton on the boards with five rebounds.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Jersey Shore's Ty McDermit (31) maintains possession of the ball around Danville's Nick Hand (24) during a District 4 Class AAAA boys quarterfinal basketball game at Danville on Friday, Jan. 21, 2025.

“We hustled really hard,” said McDermitt, who’s served an impact despite starting his freshman season on junior varsity. “We only won two games the last two years, so I think we did really good.”

“A lot was on Ben’s shoulders early in the season but now late in the year, we have other guys involved,” said Boob. “We have Carson (Watkins), Jacob (Lorson), Roman (Dittmar), Landon (Lathan), Jude (Ten Eyck), Tucker (Hannah), the list goes on. Even with Ben graduating, they can see the light at the end of the tunnel like, ‘We can do it.'”

Jersey Shore (13-10) wrapped things up tied for its most wins in a campaign since 2020, when it won its last playoff game. In doing so, it surprised everybody, shaking off the notion that it couldn’t compete and setting the foundation for more excitement moving forward.

What a run it’s been.

Danville 59, Jersey Shore 53

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Jersey Shore's Landon Lathan (15) works his way around a Danville's defender during a District 4 Class AAAA boys quarterfinal basketball game at Danville on Friday, Jan. 21, 2025.

JERSEY SHORE (53)

Carson Watkins 1 0-0 2, Jude Ten Eyck 1 0-0 3, Ben Dalton 7 4-4 19, Landon Lathan 1 1-2 3, Jacob Lorson 3 0-0 7, Ty McDermitt 3 0-0 6, Khani McCray 3 0-0 6, Tucker Hannah 3 0-0 6, Roman Dittmar 0 1-2 1. Totals 22 6-8 53.

DANVILLE (59)

Ethan Morrison 1 3-4 5, Mason Kingery 6 0-0 15, Ben Koser 10 1-4 21, Nick Hand 1 2-2 5, Daniel Walker 2 5-6 9, Luis Gonzales 1 0-0 2, Jake Cool 1 0-0 2. Totals 21 11-16 59.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Jersey Shore's Carson Watkins (0) reaches for the rim during a District 4 Class AAAA boys quarterfinal basketball game at Danville on Friday, Jan. 21, 2025.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Jersey Shore's head coach Jon Boob reacts from the sidelines during a District 4 Class AAAA boys quarterfinal basketball game at Danville on Friday, Jan. 21, 2025.