Southern has been here before.
The Rams have appeared in 16 consecutive Shore Conference Tournament title games. So when they let a lead slip away in the second set, they knew how to regroup.
Southern squandered a 21-17 in the second set. The match was tied at one a piece heading into the third. Southern used the three-minute break between sets to get back on track.
“Maxwell did Maxwell,” senior Aiden Krinic said. “He worked his magic and told us not to give up on it. He told us that that serve was not what it was. We got through it on on point the first time it came around and we got through it.”
The Rams started the third set on a big run that eventually ballooned to double-digits to close out the match.
“I challenge our guys,” Southern head coach Eric Maxwell said. “We’ve been in that third set and it’s all on the line. They knew what they had to do out there.”
Top-seeded Southern, No. 3 in NJ.com‘s Top 20, finished strong during a 25-17, 22-25, 25-13 win over seventh-seeded Marlboro in the Shore Conference Tournament championship at Georgian Court University in Lakewood.
The Rams (25-1) have now won nine consecutive Shore Conference titles and 15 out of 16.
“It feels routine,” Krinic said. “I’ve been apart of three of them. It’s a big motivational thing. The standard is set.”
Southern closed out the first set with little drama but the opposition was prepare to play from behind.
Marlboro (19-6) made an incredible run to the final with wins over St. John Vianney and Barnegat. In both games, the Mustangs dropped the first set but battled back to win in three.
“They don’t ever quit on one another,” Marlboro head coach Keith Masi said. “They get along with each other and know where each other is going to be. It helps us battle through some of those second and third sets.”
The resiliency of Marlboro was on display once again. The Mustangs trailed late in the second set but put together a six-point run to take control.
“I think they started to have some more confidence in themselves,” Masi said. “We struggled with serve receive pretty much the whole night. But we came out of a timeout and it seemed like we started to believe a little bit.”
In that second set, the athleticism of Marlboro took over late. Isaiah Tinsley and Hector Rosado finished at the net while Kyle Eng led the charge in the middle.
“I thought we relaxed a little bit,” Maxwell said. “And it doesn’t take long. If you drop your guard a little bit, they jumped on it. They made some plays, made some big blocks. We can’t give six points away. We have to find a way to get a sideout.”
In the third set, it was Southern’s turn to finish strong at the net. Van Miller took over in the middle and sparked the Rams. He led the team with 15 kills.
“Van stepped up in the third set and put the exclamation point,” Maxwell said. “He was hitting the ball a little harder.”
Krinic was on top of his game from the early moments of the game, going toe-to-toe with the block of the Mustangs. the 6-foot-5 hitter logged 11 kills. Logan Homme dished out 36 assists.
“I thought our timing was good,” Masi said. “We were able to read it well and get hands over the net.”
Southern exploded off the bench after the final point of the night to celebrate with the Rams on the floor. After nine straight titles, the excitement is not lost.
“It’s a different group of guys and you want them to feel that as well,” Maxwell said. “I love the competition. I love big games. It’s very exciting.”
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Greg Patuto can be reached at gpatuto@njadvancemedia.com.