Ocean Boys Basketball Named Week 3 OIB Ortho Team of the Week | Shore Sports Insider
Week 3 OIB Ortho Team of the Week:
Ocean Boys Basketball
Shore Sports Insider is proud to partner with OIB Ortho this winter to present our weekly OIB Ortho Boys Basketball Team of the Week Award, recognizing standout Shore Conference programs for their accomplishments on the court.
We are also thrilled to welcome Joe Leone’s Italian Specialties as a co-sponsor, providing a generous $250 gift card each week to celebrate the winning team.
The Week 3 recipient of the 2026 OIB Ortho Boys Team of the Week is Ocean, following a week in which the Spartans took a major step toward a division championship during the middle of the week and capped it by beating a team on the verge of cracking the Shore Sports Insider Top 10.
The week began with Ocean, Matawan and Monmouth all even in the loss column in the race for first place in the Shore Conference Class B Central division. When Matawan lost to Raritan on Thursday, it opened the door for either Ocean or Monmouth Regional to claim sole possession of the first place when the two rivals met that same night at Monmouth.
Having already beaten Monmouth, 61-46, in its first division game of the season in early January, Ocean battled the Falcons for the full 32 minutes and delivered the winning play in the final seconds. Junior Justice Hodges came up with a steal of an inbounds pass and drew a foul to earn a trip to the free-throw line with the game tied, 44-44. Hodges sank both shots and the Spartans held on defense to seal a 46-44 win and take over the lone spot at the top of the division.
On Saturday, Ocean finished off its week with a statement win. Colts Neck entered the weekend 6-1 over its last seven, with the lone loss coming vs. Red Bank Catholic — the No. 3 team in the SSI Top 10 — by a score of 48-43. During that stretch, Colts Neck defeated No. 4 Marlboro, putting the Cougars in position to climb into the Top 10 with a strong finish to the week.
Ocean denied Colts Neck that chance and put itself on the rankings radar with a 47-41 win over the reigning NJSIAA Group III champion. After leading the way with 15 points in the win over Monmouth two days earlier, senior Aidan Saint Louis poured in 19 points to spark the Spartans to Saturday’s big win, which came at Manchester High School’s Autism Awareness Showcase. Hodges also delivered again for Ocean with a 15-point performance.
With a division championship in its sights, Ocean opened up the new week with a 66-42 win over Long Branch on its Senior Night, with Vernon Taylor leading the group of seniors with 10 points and freshman Omar Ayyash going off for 25. Ocean is now 6-1 in divisional play with three games to go and can clinch a share of the division title as early as Friday vs. Raritan, although with the Spartans needing Monmouth and Matawan to lose for that to happen, next week is more likely to be the first clinching opportunity for Ocean.
On Monday, Shore Sports Insider visited practice to present Ocean head coach Ryan Pringle and the team with a commemorative game ball and a $250 Joe Leone’s Italian Specialties Gift Card, courtesy of our partners at Joe Leone’s, for a well-earned team meal.
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