Boys Basketball Shore Conference Tournament Preview, Picks: Round of 16
Shore Conference Tournament Round of 16
Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026
No. 17 Point Boro at No. 1 CBA, 6 p.m.
Coming off a thriller win over Monmouth in the final seconds of its first-round game, Point Boro will try to shock the Shore by taking out the No. 1 seed and heavy favorite to win the tournament. The Panthers have a close loss vs. Hudson Catholic that has served as a confidence boost for them all year, so it might held if they did not look at the score of CBA’s game vs. Hudson Catholic (the Colts won by 23).
Point Boro’s hope rests in CBA’s shooting percentage, in that it will need to be unusually low for the Panthers to have a shot. The Colts will face a defense that is well-schooled in the 2-3 zone and will have to be able to knock down their open looks, which they will get. Even if the shooting is not on-point, CBA will be hard for Point Boro to deal with on the glass and the defensive end.
The Pick: CBA, 68-47
No. 15 Ocean at No. 2 Wall, 5:30 p.m.
In Wall’s second game of the year, before we knew the Crimson Knights as the team that won their first 17 games by dominating their Shore Conference opponents, Wall labored to get past Ocean in a 46-39 win. From there, however, Wall has gone to the moon, winning its first 17 games with just four decided by fewer than 10 points before Colonia handed the Crimson Knights their first loss on Saturday.
Ocean has the guards to physically match up with Wall, even though two Spartans starters are freshmen (Omar and Ahmad Ayyash) and another is a sophomore (Brody Bell). Senior Aidan Saint Louis one of the more physical guards in the conference and Wall is likely to try to slow him down with senior Brian McKenna. Both teams have improved over the first eight weeks of the season, but the separator for Wall has been its bench play. Whether it’s a change of pace, a matchup, foul trouble of finding a hot hand, the Crimson Knights bench has served the team very well and that should be a difference again on Thursday.
The Pick: Wall, 56-46
No. 14 Point Beach at No. 3 Red Bank Catholic, 7 p.m.
Three of the eight games Thursday will mark the third time two opponents are playing one another and this game is the only one of the three that does not feature division opponents. Red Bank Catholic beat Point Beach in December in the consolation bracket at the Kevin Williams Christmas Classic, then again on Jan. 31 in Red Bank. In each of their losses to RBC, Point Beach played without 6-foot-4 junior Danny Cavanaugh, so the Caseys will have to account for a new dynamic. Without Cavanaugh, Point Beach had no answer for Caseys 6-7 junior Tyler Hager and should be better-prepared to deal with him, especially after getting the psychological lift that comes with winning a triple-overtime game in tournament play.
Red Bank Catholic has been one of the steadier teams in the conference and will look to slow down Point Beach’s potent offense for a third time. Cavanaugh is not a source of scoring compared to the rest of the Point Beach lineup, but accounting for him on the floor will make the Point Beach offense better while making it tougher for the Caseys to score. RBC has many ways to put points on the board, both in its lineup balance and in the versatility of the players in its rotation. Both teams are used to playing in tight games, with mixed results for both. If it is close in the last two minutes, give Red Bank Catholic the edge as the home team and better team from the free-throw line.
The Pick: Red Bank Catholic, 62-58
No. 13 Middletown South at No. 4 Howell, 6 p.m.
This game will be one of two rubber matches in the SCT round of 16 and Middletown South might be happy the game is at Howell. On Feb. 2, the Eagles visited the Rebels’ home floor and routed Howell, 84-53, in their most resounding win of the year. Middletown South will not expect Thursday’s game to go as smoothly; after all, Middletown South just beat a Brick Memorial team that beat the Eagles, 62-42, during the regular season. The Eagles starters have settled into their roles, with senior Michael Fitzpatrick now entrenched as a starter and off-ball scoring option, senior Nick Cannizzaro bringing energy off the bench, senior Beckett Oliver providing the inside presence, and senior Matt Trimble joining freshmen Ryan Gannon and Evan Wells as the focus of the offense.
Howell also counters with a balanced roster, led by standout guard play from brothers Cayden and Jayson Parker. Junior guard Eddie Garcia has been an x-factor for the Rebels , while junior Noah Musto will need give the Rebels an edge in the paint against Oliver. When Middletown South lights it up from the field like it did in the last meeting, Howell – nor most other teams – can handle Middletown South, so forcing tougher shots will be paramount for the Rebels if they are going to hold serve at home. Howell is 32 good minutes from setting a new school record for wins in a season and can reach the SCT quarterfinals for the third time in program history. Middletown South, meanwhile, will play the quarterfinals on its home floor if it can repeat its last performance in Howell’s gym
The Pick: Middletown South, 58-57
No. 21 Toms River South at No. 5 Marlboro, 5 p.m.
Teams seeded in the 20’s win SCT first-round games with some frequency, but teams in the 20’s winning two games is exceedingly rare. Toms River South executed a winning formula Tuesday in upsetting No. 12 Central and will take its senior-heavy lineup to Marlboro Thursday with designs of springing another surprise. The Indians have three key seniors to lead the offense, starting with guard Shane Gambarony, double-double factory Jake Myers and versatile guard Kharii Pringle. Ultimately, though, it was the defense that carried Toms River South to Tuesday’s win at Central, which is another eye-opening win for a team that has also beaten Point Beach, Brick Memorial and Shore Regional during the year.
Few starting lineups in this tournament are more well-rounded than the Marlboro five, which boasts starters averaging between 7.5 and 18 points per game across the board. It makes the Mustangs hard to hold down on offense and on defense, they can force the issue with pressure. No team has been able to beat Marlboro handily when the Mustangs have been at full strength and with Dylan McEwan back in the lineup after missing last week, Marlboro is ready to make a run.
The Pick: Marlboro, 72-59
No. 11 Ranney at No. 6 Jackson, 6 p.m.
There was an element of revenge when Jackson Memorial and Ranney met in last year’s SCT first round, when the Jaguars avenged a 2023 round-of-16 home loss to Ranney. Last year’s loss has left a much larger scar for a Ranney team that is mostly back and will want to pay the Jaguars back for knocking the Panthers out in the first round. In the 2025 first round, Ranney had no answer for senior guard George Boley and slowing Boley down will be a priority. Boley is on a hot streak heading into Friday, averaging 25.5 points over the last six games after failing to score 20 in 11 straight games prior.
Ranney has its own talented lead senior guard in Shaan Nayar, who is flanked by a supporting cast that does not include another senior. That supporting cast has been the key to Ranney’s success, with Andrew Mardahaev, Ben Schaeffer and Alex Heyser all threats to back Nayar up as a secondary option. Jackson has its share of key players beyond Boley as well and if the Jaguars supporting cast can outduel Ranney’s, it would take a monster game from Nayar to beat Jackson. On the flip side, if the Ranney guards are locked in from three-point range, Jackson could struggle to keep up.
The Pick: Ranney, 57-54
No. 10 Freehold Township at No. 7 Manasquan, 7 p.m.
This will not be a third meeting between Freehold Township and Manasquan, but it is a rematch from Jan. 10, which Manasquan won, 54-41. In that game, not only did Freehold Township play without junior point guard Cole Gerigk, but also had to overcome its two top scorers – juniors Jake Schultzel and John O’Neill – going scoreless in the game. When those three are on the floor together, they are Freehold Township’s top three offensive options, so it is a virtual guarantee that the Patriots trio will be more productive on Thursday.
Manasquan is awaiting the return of its own star guard, with junior Rey Weinseimer close to returning from a knee injury that has kept him out for the entire year while he has rehabbed it. A healthy Weinseimer will make Manasquan a serious threat to win the tournament, but working him back into the fold could come with some challenges. Without Weinseimer, Manasquan has gone as sophomore Sean Bilodeau goes, with Bilodeau playing well heading into the tournament. The Warriors have reached the SCT quarterfinals in 14 straight years and this time around, that streak will be put to the test in a way it has not been to this point. Freehold Township has a better chance with a full lineup this time around, but finishing off the Warriors at home is no easy task.
The Pick: Manasquan, 44-41
No. 9 Rumson-Fair Haven at No. 8 Holmdel, 5:30 p.m.
Two teams could not be more evenly-matched than Rumson and Holmdel are. The two Class A Central rivals split their regular-season series, with the home team winning each game by a six-point margin. In the first meeting, 6-foot-9 Rumson senior Luke Cruz was knocked out of the game in the third quarter with an eye injury that sidelined him for two weeks, but Rumson managed to hang on for a 59-53 win. At Holmdel, the Hornets overcame a 30-point effort by Cruz to pull out a 58-52 win over the Bulldogs by limiting the Rumson guards around Cruz.
Holmdel has the size and strength to match up well with Rumson’s big athletic lineup, but Cruz is adept at finding high-percentage shots for himself, which will likely force Holmdel to put points on the board to win the game. Sophomore Anthony Serini and senior Jack Vallillo have been dependable in the scoring department for the Hornets, while seniors Connor Paul and Jack Cannon have been unsung heroes. For Rumson to win the rubber match, it will need senior Blake Ahmann to be a force in the paint, while at least one of freshman Clint Martin and senior Luke Lydon can complement Cruz as a legitimate scoring threat. Holmdel enters the game as the hotter team, but Rumson has the best player on the floor and a capable supporting cast that just needs to be solid.
The Pick: Rumson, 53-49
First-Round Picks Record: 4-4
