Boys Basketball Shore Conference Tournament Preview, Picks: Quarterfinal Saturday

Shore Conference Tournament Quarterfinals

Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026

At Middletown South High School

No. 4 Howell vs. No. 5 Marlboro, 11 a.m.

The first of four rematches in the SCT quarterfinals, Howell and Marlboro split a pair of showdowns in December, the second of which was a 53-49 win for Howell in the Albert E. Martin Buc Holiday Classic at Red Bank Regional. The first meeting was the season-opener for Marlboro, which the Mustangs won at Howell, 54-50. In case the math doesn’t jump out to you, that’s a cumulative score of 107-107 in two games, so looking at it from that angle, this matchup is about as even as it gets.

Howell is in the midst of what might be its best season in program history, with these Rebels already setting a single-season program record with 18 wins while reaching the SCT quarterfinals for the second time in three years after going 13 years without getting that far. When the two teams met in December, senior guard Cayden Parker was on a tear and since that time, his brother, junior Jayson Parker, has elevated to about the same level, giving Howell a dynamic back court. Junior Noah Musto is a 6-foot-5 matchup problem for many teams while classmate Eddie Garcia has been the third option on the perimeter and is more than just a shooter. The rest of the rotation consists of pure role players, but senior J.C. Farley can be an x-factor as a source for scoring, with seniors Chris Kahwaty and Michael Carbone also providing minutes.

Marlboro is even more balanced than Howell and perhaps as balanced as any team left in the tournament outside of CBA. Junior slashing guard Dylan McEwan has emerged as the team’s leading scorer at 18.6 points per game, which suggests the Mustangs are reliant on his offense to win games, but that’s not entirely the case. They did lose to Ranney with McEwan out, but the other four starters have proven capable in producing, led by senior Ajay Mathews and junior Nolan Gong. Both Mathews and Gong can play the point, with Mathews offering some size at 6-2, while senior Christian Elmasri also has some scoring chops and is the team’s best perimeter defender. Speaking of size, 6-5 center Drew Lubeck is a worthy counter to Musto in the front court and is one of the Shore’s top rebounders at just under 10 per game.

If there are separators for both teams, Howell is a tad more dangerous as a three-point shooting team while Marlboro has the higher ceiling defensively. Protecting the ball will be key for both teams, which will put the spotlight on the Parker Brothers for Howell and Gong and Mathews for Marlboro. Over the course of the season, Marlboro has competed with every opponent and has been the more consistent of the two teams, which makes them the safer pick in what is otherwise a complete toss-up.

The Pick: Marlboro, 60-55

 

No. 1 Christian Brothers Academy vs. No. 8 Holmdel, 12:45 p.m.

Like the two teams from game one, CBA and Holmdel met twice during the regular season, but the results were much different. The Shore’s No. 1 team handled Holmdel twice, winning its Class A North division opener, 81-44, then pulling away in the third and fourth quarters for a 69-40 win 16 days later. That second win over Holmdel is one of only two losses by the Hornets over their last 11 games, with the other coming at Sayreville on a shot at the buzzer.

Before thinking about upsetting CBA, Holmdel just needs to figure out how to compete with the Colts on the scoreboard for the full 32 minutes. Since that second loss to CBA, Holmdel has beaten Rumson-Fair Haven twice – including Thursday’s SCT round of 16 – and Manasquan once and the Hornets’ first game after that CBA loss was a 22-point win over Middletown South in the same gym that will host the quarterfinals on Saturday. Another positive sign for Holmdel is that both senior Jack Vallillo and sophomore Anthony Serini are shooting the ball well at the same time, which could create some dilemmas for CBA’s defense. With those two as top scorers, Holmdel will lean on seniors Connor Paul and Jack Cannon to continue to do more of the all-around work on both sides of the court. Now at full strength, Holmdel has the kind of depth it will take to challenge CBA, with 6-foot-4 seniors Dylan Zammit and Luke Scheiss providing two good options in the front court and juniors Elliot Bronowich and Collin Bresnick in the back court.

Holmdel’s depth will be a challenge for opponents in the NJSIAA Group II Playoffs, but is it enough to rattle CBA? The Colts go at least 10 deep, with sophomore Izayah Cooper the key cog at point guard and senior Connor Andree the team leader as the Colts’ surgeon in the post. Around those two, CBA also has a dynamic wing in junior Avery Lynch, a 6-foot-8 junior in David Buley, a sharp-shooting senior in Charlie Marcoullier and two perimeter defensive hounds in senior Charlie Messano and sophomore Oymere Rene. Senior Matt Veisz, junior Will Grier, sophomore Aidan Dotzler, junior Mike Barrett and sophomore Connor Marcoullier have all made contributions throughout the year as well, giving Colts coach Brian Lynch a full roster he can count on in this tournament.

CBA over-matched Holmdel in last year’s quarterfinal round at Middletown South and now, the Colts have an even more explosive roster that features Cooper and Lynch to go with Andree, Marcoullier, Messano and Buley. This version of Holmdel, however, is bigger and more physical than recent Holmdel teams and that should give veteran coach Sean Devaney something to work with while cooking up a game plan to solve CBA. Ultimately, the Colts should win this one, but expect Holmdel to make it tougher than the first two clashes.

The Pick: CBA, 63-48

No. 2 Wall vs. No. 7 Manasquan, 2:30 p.m.

Of the four rematches that make up this year’s quarterfinal quadruple-header, Wall and Manasquan are the only teams to meet just once during the regular season. That game was back in late December, when Wall turned in an eye-opening performance in a 40-20 victory over Manasquan that marked its first win over the Warriors since the turn of the century. In that game, Manasquan’s early offensive struggles reared their ugly head against Wall’s stifling defense, as the Warriors went scoreless for the first 13:48 of the game and managed only four points in the entire first half.

Since then, Wall has further solidified itself as a legitimate contender for the Group II championship, as well as the favorite to reach the Shore Conference Tournament final from its side of the bracket. The Crimson Knights won their first 17 games of the season before finally suffering a loss last Saturday to Colonia – the reigning NJSIAA sectional champions in North Jersey Section 2, Group III. Wall bounced back with a comfortable win over Ocean Thursday in the round of 16 and will look to prove December’s domination of Manasquan was no fluke. Wall’s offense has been sharper since December, with senior Brian McKenna leading the way at an efficient 17 points per game. Senior Dan Hennessy has also picked up his scoring since then and is 14.4 points over Wall’s last nine games. Senior point guard Liam Killea has been one of the Shore’s top point guards this season, and senior Jake DeBrito a breakout player as one of the other starting guards for the Crimson Knights. Senior Joey Ambrozy has also been solid in the starting five, while juniors Donovan Buist, Navin Tu and Marius Rossi have formed a bench trio that has taken Wall to the next level.

Since a rough finish to 2025 that also included a loss to Jackson in the Kevin Williams Classic consolation round, Manasquan has found itself, particularly in recent weeks. That December loss to Wall marked the first game of the season for junior forward Logan Cleveland, who was just returning from an ankle injury that sidelined him for the preseason, plus Manasquan’s first four games of the season. With Cleveland at 100 percent, Manasquan is even more formidable in the front court with Jack O’Reilly joining Cleveland as starters at 6-foot-5 or taller. Manasquan’s guards have grown up as well, with senior Jack Lattimer coming off a 21-point game vs. Freehold Township and sophomores Sean Bilodeau, Luke Winn and Kennedy Larned have rounded into form along with junior John Visceglia. Cleveland (9.7 points per game) and Bilodeau (8.9) lead the team in scoring, but the Warriors make their hay on the defensive end and with a balanced, unselfish offense.

Just as Cleveland returned vs. Wall in December, Manasquan could return another key cog Saturday, although junior guard Rey Weinseimer’s status remains questionable. Weinseimer has yet to play this season while recovering from meniscus surgery, but has been a full participant in practice, according to coach Andrew Bilodeau. Weinseimer may not be ready to hit the floor at full strength after an All-Shore sophomore season, but his presence could be a game-changer for Manasquan. Either way, this is a much better Warriors team than the one that could not compete with Wall in December and that should be reflected in the score. Wall, however, is still the more complete team and it will take a special gameplan and performance from a team that has engineered plenty of them in the last decade.

The Pick: Wall, 49-43

No. 3 Red Bank Catholic vs. No. 11 Ranney, 4:15 p.m.

If there is a template for what the paying fan is hoping to witness on Saturday at Middletown South, it is the second game of the season between Red Bank Catholic and Ranney. In that game, Ranney rallied to send the game into overtime with a putback at the buzzer by junior Andrew Mardahaev and the Panthers went on to knock off RBC in double-overtime, 62-57. That was the sequel to a 69-65 Caseys win in which Ranney nearly erased a 20-point second half lead before RBC held on to win. On top of playing two competitive games, both Ranney and RBC have been two of the steadier teams in the SCT field, with both teams posting respectable-to-great results against quality schedules.

Ranney dealt with some minor injury issues early in the season that contributed to a modest start but the Panthers have picked up their play over the last several weeks, beginning with a 10-point win over Red Bank just two days after the Bucs upset Rumson-Fair Haven. That win began a 7-1 stretch that includes wins over RBC, Marlboro, Shore and Jackson, the last of which was an impressive, 67-50, dismantling of the Class A South champions in their own gym. Junior Alex Heyser is peaking at the right time to give Ranney yet another scoring threat to go along with senior Shaan Nayar, Mardahaev and junior Ben Schaeffer – all of whom are averaging better than 10 points per game, led by Nayar at 16.3. Sophomore A.J. Mizhir, junior Jordan Rue and junior Bryce Haney have also been key contributors and with so many juniors and Mizhir playing important roles, Ranney’s improvement curve this season has been more exaggerated than most teams.

Red Bank Catholic is also a junior-powered team with five scoring threats in the starting five, plus some production off the bench. Senior James Hankowski (team-best 13.8 points per game), junior Gavin Biasi and junior Tyler Hager are all averaging better than 10 points per game, while junior Ryder Ciorciari is just below the double-figure mark and senior Ryan Saxton comes in at better than seven per game while leading the defensive effort in the back court. Sophomores Asher Cummins and Ryan Bailey are capable players off the bench for an RBC team that is as sound defensively as any team coach Tyler Schmelz has had in his 10 seasons as head coach of his alma mater. While Saxton and Biasi are standout perimeter defenders, Hager ties it all together with his versatility as a rim protector who can check guards as well.

Hager’s presence is the x-factor for RBC against Ranney, which has to contend with the 6-foot-7 junior without a player taller than 6-3. Mardahaev (6-0) and Schaeffer (6-1) both play bigger than their measurements might suggest, but when Hager is on his game, Ranney will have trouble dealing with him. Fortunately for the Panthers, they can score by establishing their outside shooting to loosen up RBC inside and they move the ball well enough that the Caseys will have their hands full as well. These are two very evenly matched teams and if one team does not shoot much better than the other, the difference could come down to RBC being the more physical of the two.

The Pick: Red Bank Catholic, 58-51

 

Round-of-16 Picks Record: 6-2

2026 SCT Picks Record: 10-6