Watkins, Lorson surge for Bulldogs as Jersey Shore boys clinch playoff spot
- MARK NANCE/For The Express Jersey Shore’s Carson Watkins (0) shoots over Mid-West’s Brandon Ferster(14) and Case Shattulk (15) in the second quarter.
- MARK NANCE/For The Express Jersey Shore fans sport their “Fear the Stache’ tee-shirts as they cheer on the boys basketball team against Mid-West Monday night. 100 of the tee-shirts were made in honor of the team’s senior Ben Dalton who has a very distinct mustache.
- MARK NANCE/For The Express Jersey Shore’s Ben Dalton (13) shoots a free throw in the third quarter.
- MARK NANCE/For The Express Jersey Shore’s Ben Dalton (13) shoots over Mid-West’s Hezekiah Prinsloo (20) in the third quarter.
- MARK NANCE/For The Express Jersey Shore boys basketball head coach Jon Boob coaches on Monday.
- MARK NANCE/For The Express Jersey Shore boys basketball head coach Jon Boob coaches on Monday.
- MARK NANCE/For The Express Jersey Shore fans sport their “Fear the Stache’ tee-shirts as they cheer on the boys basketball team against Mid-West Monday night. 100 of the tee-shirts were made in honor of the team’s senior Ben Dalton who has a very distinct mustache.
- MARK NANCE/For The Express Jersey Shore’s Roman Dittmar (35) shoots around Mid-West’s Brandon Ferster (14) in the third quarter.
- MARK NANCE/For The Express Jersey Shore’s Carson Watkins (0) looks for a shot under the Mid-West’s defense in the second quarter.
- MARK NANCE/For The Express Jersey Shore’s Ty McDermit (31) drives down court ahead of the Mid-West defense in the second quarter.
- MARK NANCE/For The Express Jersey Shore’s Khani McCray (32) drives around Mid-West’s Case Shattulk (15) in the second quarter.
- MARK NANCE/For The Express Jersey Shore’s Khani McCray (32) shoots over the Mid-West’s defense in the second quarter.
- MARK NANCE/For The Express Jersey Shore’s Ty McDermit (31) shoots around Mid-West’s Brandon Ferster (14) in the second quarter.

MARK NANCE/For The Express Jersey Shore's Carson Watkins (0) shoots over Mid-West's Brandon Ferster(14) and Case Shattulk (15) in the second quarter.
JERSEY SHORE–Jon Boob did not become Jersey Shore’s basketball coach until late last offseason. Still, it took him just a few minutes to realize the Bulldogs possessed two foundational pieces named Carson Watkins and Jacob Lorson.
Watkins took his sophomore season off a year ago, focusing upon football and baseball. Lorson spent most of his freshman season last winter playing JV basketball, but both immediately impressed Boob last summer and time has not changed that impression. It simply has reinforced it.
Watkins and Lorson continued surging Monday night, helping Jersey Shore clinch a District 4 Class AAAA playoff the old-fashioned way, defeating Midd-West, 61-30. Watkins scored a team-high 12 points in three quarters, Lorson pulled down 11 rebounds and made four steals during the same time and Jersey Shore continued its massive turnaround season after winning eight games combined the three previous years. This also is the first time since 2020 that the Bulldogs (11-7) have reached double figure wins.
“We came from the bottom. We have turned this program around,” Watkins said. “We have great coaches, and it’s been great this year, and we’re hoping to pull some more wins out and get a higher seed and try and make some noise in playoffs. Every day at practice we say, let’s make some noise.”
Watkins and Lorson helped Jersey Shore continue pumping up the volume against Midd-West. They came up especially big with fabulous senior forward Ben Dalton battling foul trouble all night. Watkins ignited a 15-1 second quarter burst which put Jersey Shore up 20 at halftime and Lorson was a force on both defense and the boards.

MARK NANCE/For The Express Jersey Shore fans sport their "Fear the Stache' tee-shirts as they cheer on the boys basketball team against Mid-West Monday night. 100 of the tee-shirts were made in honor of the team's senior Ben Dalton who has a very distinct mustache.
“With Ben getting into foul trouble, Carson and Jake really stepped up and showed what they can do,” Boob said after his players doused him with a celebratory water cooler shower afterward “That’s good for our future.”
Watkins was unsure last year if his high school future included basketball. It took just one tryout practice, however, to convince Watkins he wanted to play again. A well-rounded athlete who can do a bit of everything, Watkins quickly worked his way into the starting lineup and has been a consistent stat stuffer.
There was a learning curve after missing a season, but Watkins has kept grinding and appears to be playing his best at the most opportune time with playoffs two weeks away. He scored six points in each of the first two quarters, made 6 of his 10 first-half shots and can shoot, attack and/or facilitate.
“It took a me a decent amount of time to get my shot back. Now that I’m back; getting coached, I think I’m doing pretty solid,” Watkins said. “I’ve had two pretty good games the last two games. They have been really good for me.”
“We said at the beginning of the year, if you’re just basing skill off athleticism, Carson is top on our team. He’s very athletic, he’s fast, he’s strong and he can jump,” Boob said. “He’s all the things you want in a basketball player.”

MARK NANCE/For The Express Jersey Shore's Ben Dalton (13) shoots a free throw in the third quarter.
Watkins especially showed that after re-entering the game midway through the second quarter. Midd-West had cut an 11-point deficit to six, but eight seconds after coming back in, Watkins scored and sparked the game-changing 15-1 run. Next, he fed Ty McDermott for a 3-pointer, before scoring the next four points.
Watkins had a hand in nine of the first 10 points of that flurry and Jersey Shore went ahead, 32-12 at halftime. Midd-West never pulled closer than 20 again.
“It’s really showcasing now because we have almost a full season in where Carson’s had the ball in his hands and he’s playing,” Boob said. “It shows that he can be our next weapon on offense this year, especially going into playoffs. That takes us to the next level.”
Lorson is helping Jersey Shore reach that level, too. The sophomore forward provides the backbone for a resurgent defense, attacks the boards like a sane Dennis Rodman and is heating up offensively. Lorson had nine rebounds by halftime against Midd-West and went 7 of 8 at the foul line, consistently earning trips there through his hustle and work in the post.
“I think I’ve come a long way as a defensive player,” Lorson said. “Last year I was not a very good defender. Whatever I can do to help, is kind of what I’ll try and do.”

MARK NANCE/For The Express Jersey Shore's Ben Dalton (13) shoots over Mid-West's Hezekiah Prinsloo (20) in the third quarter.
Lorson has done that well all season. On a night, Jersey Shore fans wore white t-shirts which read, ‘Fear the Stache,’ in honor of Dalton who features a Tom Selleck-type mustache, Midd-West feared Lorson who repeatedly made things happen in all facets.
Lorson looked like a younger version of Dalton, making four steals by halftime while making sure there was no drop-off when the senior leader went to the bench. Lorson stayed hungry in the third quarter and helped Jersey Shore impose the mercy rule five minutes into it.
“Ben teaches me a lot, especially offensively, with where to be and how to get into good position,” Lorson said. He’s helped me a lot because he’s probably one of the best post players I’ve ever seen.”
“Jake is a huge hidden gem for us, and I don’t think a lot of people realize how important he is for us. He is our defensive anchor. Any defensive scheme we run, it’s run around Jake,” Boob said. “He gets it. He just sees things faster than everyone else. It’s really fun to watch, and he’s been nothing short of amazing.”
Jersey Shore received steady contributions throughout its rotation Monday and 11 players scored. The Bulldogs also efficiently moved the ball and produced 17 assists on 23 field goals. Starters and reserves both played well with Roman Dittmar and Tucker Hanna each making three steals.

MARK NANCE/For The Express Jersey Shore boys basketball head coach Jon Boob coaches on Monday.
Caden Jolin ran the offense well off the bench in the second quarter and McDermott continued looking like a future star. The freshman scored six points, made four steals and added two assists. This, after McDermott scored a career-high 14 points last Friday, helping Jersey Shore turn a 16-point deficit against Shikellamy into a 76-66 victory.
Looks like both the present and future are bright for these revitalized Bulldogs.
“There was a spark. We had a big spark in the second half,” Watkins said. “That’s our coach. He got on us. You have to be tough. You can’t come into a varsity basketball game and not be tough.”
MIDD-WEST (30)
D’zani Cooley 7 0-0 16, Brandon Ferster 1 0-0 2, Chase Shattuck 1 1-4 3, Logan Hollenbach 3 1-1 8, Hezekiah Prinsloo 0 2-4 2. Totals 12 4-9 30.

MARK NANCE/For The Express Jersey Shore boys basketball head coach Jon Boob coaches on Monday.
JERSEY SHORE (61)
Ben Dalton 5 1-2 11, Landon Lathan 1 1-3 3, Jacob Lorson 0 7-8 7, Carson Watkins 6 0-0 12, Roman Dittmar 3 0-0 6, Tucker Hanna 1 0-0 3, Ty McDermott 2 1-2 6, Breylan Guerrero 2 0-0 4, Khani McCray 1 1-2 4, Caden Jolin 0 0-0 0, Easton Laubsher 1 0-0 2, Orrin Pennycoff 1 1-1 3, Hayden Kelley 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 12-18 61.
Midd-West 6 6 6 12–30
Jersey Shore 14 18 18 11–61
3-pointers: Midd-West 2 (Cooley 2); Jersey Shore 3 (Hanna, McDermott, McCray).
Records: Jersey Shore 11-7.

MARK NANCE/For The Express Jersey Shore fans sport their "Fear the Stache' tee-shirts as they cheer on the boys basketball team against Mid-West Monday night. 100 of the tee-shirts were made in honor of the team's senior Ben Dalton who has a very distinct mustache.

MARK NANCE/For The Express Jersey Shore's Roman Dittmar (35) shoots around Mid-West's Brandon Ferster (14) in the third quarter.

MARK NANCE/For The Express Jersey Shore's Carson Watkins (0) looks for a shot under the Mid-West's defense in the second quarter.

MARK NANCE/For The Express Jersey Shore's Ty McDermit (31) drives down court ahead of the Mid-West defense in the second quarter.

MARK NANCE/For The Express Jersey Shore's Khani McCray (32) drives around Mid-West's Case Shattulk (15) in the second quarter.

MARK NANCE/For The Express Jersey Shore's Khani McCray (32) shoots over the Mid-West's defense in the second quarter.

MARK NANCE/For The Express Jersey Shore's Ty McDermit (31) shoots around Mid-West's Brandon Ferster (14) in the second quarter.