Shore Sports Insider Week 6 Boys Basketball Top 10

Shore Sports Insider Boys Basketball Top 10 — Week 6

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With less than a week to go before the Shore Conference Tournament is seeded and a little more than a week left before the tournament tips off, the teams in the running for a spot are preparing for must-win games throughout the week while keeping an eye on the competition elsewhere around the Shore. The latest power-point rankings reveal a tight race for the final two spots in the Shore Conference Tournament, which will include the 24 best teams in the conference by power points and any division champion outside the top 24.

On Wednesday, Shore Sports Insider will post its first projection of the SCT field, but in the meantime, the latest Top 10 (and next 10) will provide a sneak peak of how the first projection might look, depending on the outcome of Monday’s and Tuesday’s action on the court. With Christian Brothers Academy and Wall continuing to roll toward the first two seeds in the field, the biggest story in the seeding room is likely to be which team lands the No. 3 seed, thereby avoiding the possibility of playing CBA until the championship round.

In this year’s Shore Conference, a lot can change in just one night of games, so with a whole week to go, don’t get too comfortable with the current Top 10 arrangement.

 

1. Christian Brothers Academy (17-3, 8-0) Last Week: 1

CBA has survived its share of close calls at the Shore this year, including another one vs. Rumson-Fair Haven last week in a 50-44 win at home. Through it all, the Colts are 9-0 vs. the Shore Conference, are outright champions of the challenging Class A North division, first in power points in the Shore Conference and currently hold the No. 1 seed in the South Jersey Non-Public A section of the NJSIAA Tournament. Saturday’s convincing win over Middle Township at the Metro Classic sets up CBA to close out the regular season against Red Bank and Manasquan and if the Colts can complete a 10-0 run through Class A North – and an 11-0 march through the Shore Conference regular season, there won’t be much of an argument against the Colts as the No. 1 seed in next week’s Shore Conference Tournament.

 

2. Wall (15-0, 8-0) Last Week: 2

Looking at the Shore Conference field before opening day, it was hard to envision any team challenging CBA for the No. 1 ranking through the end of divisional play, especially if CBA was going to be undefeated vs. the Shore Conference heading into the SCT. Wall, however, has made a legitimate case to be considered for the No. 1 seed. The Crimson Knights have yet to suffer a loss heading into Monday’s home date with Freehold Township and if they and CBA both finish the week without a loss, Wall can claim superior performances vs. Red Bank Catholic and, depending on CBA’s results this week, Manasquan. Short of CBA losing, however, Wall is likely to land at No. 2 and will be more than content with that outcome.

3. Marlboro (14-3, 6-2) Last Week: 4

The climb continues for Marlboro, which held on to its spot in the Top 10 during the early part of the season and has surged to No. 3 over the last two weeks. The Mustangs control their fate with respect to the Class B North championship: two wins vs. Ranney and Freehold Boro this week guarantee Marlboro no worse than a co-championship with Red Bank Catholic and if RBC loses, the Mustangs would win the division outright with those two wins on their end. The debate for No. 3 in the Shore Conference is neck-and-neck between Marlboro and RBC and Marlboro has the current edge in this space thanks to wins over Howell and East Brunswick, plus the split with RBC in divisional play.

 

4. Red Bank Catholic (14-5, 6-2) Last Week: 3

After surging to No. 3 in the rankings, RBC slips one spot following an overtime loss at Ranney this week – a game that featured Ranney scoring on a putback at the buzzer to send the game into overtime. The Caseys rebounded with a rout of Freehold Boro and a convincing win over Point Beach, which was their second win of the season over the 16-4 Garnet Gulls. Wins over Marlboro, Ranney and Colts Neck are résumé-boosters, but they are not separators for RBC vs. Marlboro at the moment. RBC’s best wins outside the division are against Point Beach (twice), Freehold Township, Central and Lawrence, while the Caseys’ best result outside the division might be its overtime loss at CBA. A win over Colts Neck this week would guarantee RBC no worse than the Class B North co-title.

 

5. Howell (14-3, 6-2) Last Week: 5

On the surface, Howell has a body of work that puts them in the running for the No. 3 spot in the ranking. Like RBC, the Rebels split with Marlboro and their only two losses beyond that Marlboro loss were two to undefeated Wall. Where Marlboro and RBC separate themselves from Howell is the rest of the schedule, which is not as strong for Howell as it is for the other two teams, although it does include a win over East Brunswick that stacks up favorably against anything RBC and Marlboro have done. Marlboro and Red Bank Catholic have also not been blown out, while Howell lost its two games to Wall by a combined 40 points. RBC, by contrast, went to overtime in three of its five losses and lost to Wall by 10 in a game that was close heading to the fourth quarter. All that said, Howell has a chance to 4-0 this week and make a real case for No. 3 in the Shore Conference Tournament.

 

6. Rumson-Fair Haven (13-6, 4-4) Last Week: 6

Consistency has eluded Rumson this season, which has something to do with health eluding the Bulldogs as well. The roster is starting to round into form and the team is hoping the play follows, which it appeared to be the case when the Bulldogs had CBA fighting for its proverbial life on Thursday in what was ultimately a 50-44 Colts win. In the end, though, it was the second of two losses last week for Rumson, which also dropped a game at Holmdel and has two losses to unranked teams (Middletown South, Red Bank). A win over Red Bank Catholic and a lopsided win over Manasquan are other examples of what Rumson looks like at its best and the Bulldogs will look to re-establish that form Tuesday vs. Manasquan.

 

7. Jackson (12-4, 5-1) Last Week: 7

Like Rumson, Jackson is trying to find itself after delivering a number of impressive performances, while also laying some clunkers along the way. Recently, it has been more of the former, which is an encouraging sign for the Jaguars heading into the start of February. Jackson has won four straight that includes wins over Central and Southern, which puts the Jaguars in position to clinch the Class A South championship if they can beat Central again on Friday – which Jackson will host. Two wins over Manasquan in December push Jackson over the top as a top-eight team, but there are still some happenings outside of Jackson’s control that could impact that.

 

8. Manasquan (9-7, 4-3) Last Week: 8

Wins over Freehold Township and Point Pleasant Beach have been keeping Manasquan in the Top 10 throughout the year after the Warriors got off to a 2-4 start to the season. A loss to Holmdel on Friday might have put the Warriors in danger of dropping out, but Manasquan rebounded with an impressive win over reigning Group I champion Thrive Charter of Trenton – the No. 17 team in New Jersey heading into Saturday’s game at the Jeff Coney Classic at Rancocas Valley. Manasquan also has a near-upset vs. CBA at home in a 50-46 loss and if the Warriors can ride the momentum into this week and knock off Rumson on the road on Tuesday, they will regain some momentum to potentially get into the top seven.

 

9. Freehold Township (10-7, 4-4) Last Week: 10

Manasquan’s win over Thrive and close call vs. CBA is boosting the Warriors and the Jackson team that beat them twice over Freehold Township and the new No. 10 team. Freehold Township hammered Jackson in the Kevin Williams Christmas Classic semifinals in December, but also lost at home to Manasquan by a 13-point margin. The Patriots’ best work this season has come outside of Class A Central divisional play, with their only divisional wins coming over St. John Vianney and Manalapan two times apiece. Freehold Township will have a chance to change that Monday at Wall and later in the week vs. Middletown South and if the Patriots can hand Wall their first loss of the season after losing to the Crimson Knights by seven in each of the first two meeting, a jump to No. 6 or 7 would likely be on tap.

 

10. Holmdel (9-5, 4-4) Last Week: Not Ranked

After opening the season in the top 10, Holmdel is back in the rankings for the first time since December on the heels of one of its best regular-season weeks of the last decade. The Hornets beat Rumson for the first time since 2020, avenging losses to the Bulldogs in both the NJSIAA Central Group II semifinals last year and earlier this season. Then, Holmdel topped that win by beating Manasquan for the first time since 2011 on Friday, which sets the Hornets up to win at least a piece of the Class A North public division title. Rumson and Manasquan each have a competitive loss to CBA and some higher-end wins, which leaves the Hornets behind those teams at the moment, despite the two wins last week. With a healthy roster now, Holmdel again looks the part of a Top 10 outfit and will have a chance to climb with a deep run in the Shore Conference Tournament.

Dropped Out

Point Pleasant Beach (16-4, 7-1) Last Week: 9 – A loss to RBC is not what knocked Point Beach out, nor was narrowly escaping a huge comeback by Point Boro earlier in the week. Holmdel’s huge wins over Rumson and Manasquan in back-to-back games gave the Hornets the ammo to jump the Garnet Gulls and Freehold Township’s win over Holmdel keeps the Patriots in as well.

 

The Next 10

Ranney (9-7, 5-3) – Ranney has now beaten both Red Bank Catholic and Colts Neck in divisional play and a close loss to Colts Neck is the Panthers’ only loss to an unranked Shore Conference team.

Central (13-5, 5-1) – The Golden Eagles cracked the top 10 on the Shore power-points list at No. 9 and can strengthen their case to return to the SSI Top 10 by beating Southern and Jackson this week to claim a second straight Class A South championship.

Ocean (13-7, 7-1) – On the heels of a six-game winning streak, the Spartans have climbed all the way to No. 7 in power points in the Shore Conference, with wins over Colts Neck, Henry Hudson, Shore and Monmouth (twice) fueling that climb.

Colts Neck (10-7, 5-3) – It was a week of moral victories for Colts Neck. The Cougars trailed Marlboro by 20 heading into the fourth quarter on Thursday and lost, 68-65, then lost on a last-second layup Saturday to a Holy Spirit team that handed Cherry Hill East its first loss of the season the following day.

Point Pleasant Boro (11-7, 5-3) – The résumé is spotty, but the Panthers have two wins over Brick Memorial, a win over Ocean, two competitive losses to Point Beach and a competitive loss to Hudson Catholic.

Brick Memorial (10-8, 3-4) – If not for two losses to Point Boro, Brick Memorial would have an ironclad case to get a home game in the Shore Conference Tournament thanks to wins over Point Beach and Middletown South.

Middletown South (11-7, 5-3) – A 20-point loss to Brick Memorial and a 16-point loss to Ranney hurt an otherwise compelling Top 10 case for Middletown South, which also has double-digit wins over both No. 6 Rumson and No. 9 Freehold Township.

Southern (9-7, 4-2) – Southern’s season has been defined by close-call losses to quality teams (Trenton, Lawrence, Atlantic City), except when it comes to Jackson. The Rams beat the Jaguars by 16 points at home, then lost by 24 at Jackson in the second meeting.

Red Bank (7-11, 2-5) – Since stunning Rumson-Fair Haven, Red Bank has dropped games to Ranney and St. Rose and will may need a win vs. Holmdel Monday to feel safe about its SCT spot heading into the weekend.

Monmouth (12-5, 6-2) – At No. 14 in power points in the conference, Monmouth is a lock for the SCT and will try to go into the postseason on a high note with a strong showing during a four-game week that starts with Matawan and ends at Colts Neck on Saturday.