Big-Game Ready: Marlboro, Howell, Rumson Stay Alive in Division Races

Championship races are taking shape in the eight Shore Conference divisions and while Christian Brothers Academy, Wall and Red Bank Catholic have set the pace in their respective divisions, there were three games this past week between teams chasing the leaders that could reasonably be deemed “must-win” for the teams trying to run down the favorites and claim a division title.

With three-weeks-worth of games left to decide division champions and Shore Conference Tournament standing, a lot remains on the line in the coming weeks, but for Howell, Marlboro and Rumson-Fair Haven, their chances of adding to their basketball banners either held steady or increased thanks to big wins this week.

Marlboro Rings the Gong in the Fourth Quarter

On Saturday, Marlboro closed its week with a win over Bayonne that serves as a power-point coup for the Mustangs, but when it comes to remaining alive in the Class B North division race, Thursday’s trip to Ranney was a must-win game that Marlboro – ranked No. 8 in the latest Shore Sports Insider Top 10 – did not slip through their hands.

Ranney mounted a furious comeback effort during the third quarter, but could not slice a 22-point second-half deficit lower than six in what ended up a 72-62 Marlboro victory. Each of Marlboro’s five starters scored at least 11 points in the win, led by 2025-26 leading scorer Dylan McEwan and senior guard Ajay Mathews with 16 points apiece.

“They’re flame-throwers,” Marlboro coach James Reuter said of Ranney. “People are going to see they cut a 20-point lead to six and say that’s a bad job by us, but that’s just Ranney. That’s what they do.”

Leading into the fourth quarter, second-leading scorer and 2024-25 leading scorer Nolan Gong was the one starter having a quite game as a scorer, but he rose to the occasion when his team needed a lift. Gong scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half, with seven coming in the fourth quarter, and also passed out seven assists.

“I was more of a defense-first guy, especially when the assignment is Shaan,” Gong said of his matchup with Ranney senior guard Shaan Nayar, who scored his 1,000th career point in the game vs. Marlboro and scored all 12 of his points in the third quarter. “He’s a thousand-point scorer and the rest of the team can shoot so I knew if my assignment was defense, I had to be focused on that the whole time.”

Marlboro opened the game feeding 6-foot-6 senior center Drew Lubeck, who finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots. Senior Christian Elmasri rounded out the balanced starting five on Thursday with 11 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals.

“We preached getting into the paint, coming to two feet, looking to Drew more to get him more involved,” Reuter said. “We put an emphasis on that and he delivered, especially in the first half.”

Thursday’s win was an important response for Marlboro after it lost to Colts Neck, 37-32, two days earlier. The Mustangs also lost a one-point heartbreaker at Red Bank Catholic after taking a five-point lead into the fourth quarter, which meant any hope Marlboro has to win a piece of the Class B North division championship was riding on beating Ranney on the road. Marlboro will complete its first turn through the division on Tuesday against Middletown North.

“This was a good mood-booster for us because losing to our rival was not a good day for us,” Gong said. “Coming back after that, especially since we still have a chance to win a division, it’s motivation. It felt god to close it out and make sure they never got the lead.”

Parker Brothers Own the Fourth Quarter in Middletown

Howell senior Cayden Parker has not had many off nights during a hot start to his senior season, but Friday’s Class A Central tilt at Middletown South could be considered one of those games. Thanks to foul trouble, a slow shooting night and some tough defense led by Eagles senior Nick Cannizzaro, Parker had two points entering the fourth quarter and his Rebels trailed Middletown South by two points.

On the bright side, junior Jayson Parker picked up the slack for his older brother during the first three quarters and when the fourth quarter came around, both siblings clicked together and led Howell on a game-clinching run. Jayson led the way with 18 points, eight rebounds and five assists and Cayden scored six of his eight points in the fourth quarter as Howell pulled away for a 61-50 win over Middletown South, outscoring the Eagles, 18-5, in the fourth quarter.

“He’s our main guy and when he is off the court, I just feel like I have to take that role,” Jayson Parker said. “Drive to the rim, make my shots, play to my teammates’ abilities.”

Middletown South led, 45-43, heading to the fourth quarter of a game that was tied at halftime after Howell led by one through one quarter. Howell’s largest lead of the game was seven, while Middletown South owned a lead as large as six prior to the fourth, so the fourth quarter proved pivotal in the back-and-forth clash for second place in the Class A Central standings behind 10-0 Wall.

Howell opened the quarter with an 11-0 run over the first five-plus minutes and never looked back. Junior forward Noah Musto made a significant impact as well with 15 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots while senior J.C. Farley – a transfer from Freehold Township – added 11 points and five rebounds off the bench in his best game since becoming eligible on Jan. 8. Since Farley joined the rotation, Howell is 4-0 with wins over Freehold Township, Manalapan, Matawan and Middletown South.

“Our defense and our ball-movement were the key things,” Jayson Parker season. “Our defense was amazing: rotations, not letting your man get by you. I was on a stay on freshman Ryan Gannon, so it was basically just staying with those assignments. Offensively, we got the ball around, kept cutting, and found our teammates.”

During the first turn through the division, Wall has been the dominant team in Class A Central, which includes a 64-40 win over Howell in the first game of 2026 for both teams. Wall senior Brian McKenna went for a career-high 31 points with 7-for-10 shooting from three-point range, so the Rebels are hoping to limit the Crimson Knights to a milder shooting game in Thursday’s rematch in Howell. If Howell can hand Wall its first loss, the Rebels would pull into a first-place tie in the division – a proposition that would not be possible without Friday’s fourth-quarter awakening at Middletown South.

Rumson’s Win at Manasquan Carries Weight

Manasquan has not yet looked like a team that will be the favorite to win a seventh straight NJSIAA sectional championship, but the Warriors are still steeped in a winning culture that led them to author a five-game winning streak heading into a huge game vs. Rumson-Fair Haven on Thursday of last week.

As important as the game was for Manasquan, it might have been even bigger for Rumson. The Bulldogs entered on a two-game losing streak following a 10-0 start to the season, as well as a nine-game losing streak against Manasquan that dated back to the 2018-19 season.

With senior forward Luke Cruz still out while recovering from an eye injury suffered a week earlier, Rumson ended seven years of frustration against Manasquan by clobbering the Warriors, 65-47. Senior Blake Ahmann led the way with a career-best 31 points and 18 rebounds, while freshman Clint Martin kicked in 13 points and eight rebounds.

The 65 points by Rumson were the most allowed by Manasquan, which allowed 58 in a season-opening loss to Seton Hall Prep and had not allowed more than 48 in any other game before the loss to the Bulldogs. Even after Thursday’s loss, Manasquan is allowing just 41.7 points per game.

Ahmann’s performance was another memorable one during a breakout season for the senior, who has been one of the Shore’s top rebounders at 10.6 per game.

“With rebounding, it’s a team effort,” Ahmann said. “We have a team-wide commitment to working hard when we’re on the floor and I think that shows up on the glass as much as anywhere. For me, I think it’s just wanting the ball, trying my best to anticipate where I need to go and then outworking everybody.”

A 75-45 rout at the hands of Lenape on Saturday was another reality check for Rumson, but the Bulldogs enter the new week with renewed optimism. The win over Manasquan puts Rumson in the driver’s seat for the Class A North public division championship and keeps the Bulldogs alive for a piece of the outright title as long as they can keep winning leading up to their rematch with CBA on Jan. 29. CBA beat Rumson, 79-48, on Jan. 12.

The best bit of news for Rumson, however, is the impending return of Cruz, who coach George Sourlis said is expected to return Thursday at Red Bank Regional for the second game of the Ridge Road Rivalry series this season. Cruz will be wearing protective glasses after sustaining an eye injury vs. Holmdel on Jan. 8. Rumson is 6-0 in games in which Cruz as played and 6-3 without him, although one of those wins without Cruz was a road win over No. 4 Red Bank Catholic. In those six games, Cruz is averaging 19.2 points, 13 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.5 blocked shots.

“Our mentality is whoever we have out there, we need to get the job done,” Ahmann said. “Cruz is obviously a great, great player but when he can’t be out there, the rest of us need to step up. It’s next man up.”