What a difference a day makes

What a difference 24 hours makes.  Many woke up Thursday morning wondering what happened to the snow that was forecast. Clearly nobody is asking that now.

The biggest snowstorm of the season hit us pretty hard yesterday and for the second straight day schools are closed as students and faculty enjoy an unexpected four-day weekend.  However once we get through a frigid Friday there is clearly light at the end of the tunnel with the extended forecast calling for temperatures in the 40’s and we may even hit 50 by the middle of next week.

The Ocean County St. Patrick’s Day Parade is scheduled for tomorrow at noon in Seaside Heights and the weather will not be a problem.  What would appear to be the greatest challenge for parade organizers and borough workers is getting sidewalks cleared on the boulevard for the tens of thousands of spectators who annually show up for the event which kicks off spring in Seaside Heights.

The inclement weather has impacted the NJSIAA Basketball Tournament with games postponed Thursday and I would imagine again today as many school districts have policies that all events are cancelled when school is closed.  Meanwhile more than 300 wrestlers from across the state will converge on Atlantic City today for the NJSIAA Championships which get underway tonight at Boardwalk Hall and run through Sunday. 

Last year was the first since 1970 that the Shore Conference did not have a wrestler even reach the finals and there are no clear cut favorites this year to bring home a title.  Among the shore wrestlers with the best chances to stand atop the podium Sunday afternoon are 145 pounder Alex Donovan of Brick, Southern Regional 152-pounder Matt Wilhelm, Wall’s Brett Donner at 170 pounds and Brick Memorial heavyweight Nick Rivera.  The Shore Sports Network’s Bob Badders will be in AC all weekend and provide updates, stories and more on shoresportsnetwork.com.

It’s been a better-than-expected season for the Monmouth University men’s basketball team as the Hawks head to Albany for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament.  Monmouth will face Canisius in the quarterfinals tomorrow at 2:30 and a win would send them into the semifinals Sunday and a likely meeting with top-seed Iona.  You can follow their bid to make the NCAA Tournament on 1160/1310AM this weekend.