Jaden Rhoden scored 20 points and Darrion Carrington added 19 as the fourth-seeded Toms River North High School boys basketball team avoided an upset with a come-from-behind 79-71 win over 13th-seeded Toms River East in the second round of the Shore Conference Tournament at the Pine Belt Arena on Thursday.
Hunter Petrick scored 12 points for the Mariners, who built a five-point halftime lead into a 41-28 advantage early in the third quarter. But the underdog Raiders closed out the quarter on a 25-9 run to take a one-point lead going into the fourth.
Phil Lingat scored a game-high 26 points for Toms River East, which led 65-62 with 4:30 left in the game before the Toms River North took over for good. Ryan West added 12 points for the Raiders.
The Mariners will face 12th-seeded Long Branch in the quarterfinals at Brookdale College on Sunday.