Boys Basketball 2025 Shore Conference Tournament Championship Preview

Shore Conference Tournament Championship

Friday, Feb. 21, 2025

At OceanFirst Bank Arena, Monmouth University

8 p.m.

No. 2 Christian Brothers Academy vs. No. 4 St. Rose

 

Teams at a Glance

CBA (19-3, 10-0 in Class A North)

Head Coach: Geoff Billet
SCT Titles: 16 (2010, 2009, 2006, 2005, 2003, 2001, 2000, 1993-96, 1990, 1988, 1987, 1985, 1984)
SCT Final Appearances: 25 (2014-16, 2010, 2009, 2005-07, 1999-2003, 1992-97, 1990, 1988, 1987, 1983-85)
Road to the Final: Defeated No. 15 Point Beach, 75-45; No. 7 Holmdel, 73-48; No. 6 Rumson-Fair Haven, 46-34.

Lineup

No.	Starters	Year	Height	Position
2	Charlie Marcoullier	Jr.	6'0"	Guard
10	Kevin Pikiell	Sr.	6'3"	Guard
4	Gavin Marlin	Jr.	6'2"	Guard
15	Justin Fuerbacher	Sr.	6'5"	Forward
32	Connor Andree	Jr.	6'5"	Forward
No.	Off the Bench	Year	Height	Position
24	David Buley	So.	6'8"	Center
20	Charlie Messano	Jr.	6'2"	Guard
5	Nick Lane	Sr.	5'10"	Guard
35	Cam Reynholds	Sr.	6'3"	Forward

 

St. Rose (18-7, 10-0 in Class A Central)

Head Coach: Brian Lynch
SCT Titles: 1 (2024)
SCT Final Appearances: 1 (2024)
Road to the Final: Defeated No. 20 Jackson Memorial, 82-31; No. 5 Central, 73-51; No. 1 Manasquan, 59-42.

Lineup

No.	Starters	Year	Height	Position
35	Evan Romano	Sr.	6'3"	Guard
15	Bryan Ebeling	Sr.	6'3"	Guard
33	Jayden Hodge	Jr.	6'6"	Guard
1	Tyler Cameron	Jr.	6'2"	Guard
21	Avery Lynch	So.	6'5"	Forward
No.	Off the Bench	Year	Height	Position
0	Izayah Cooper	Fr.	6'0"	Guard
2	Oymere Rene	Fr.	6'2"	Guard
32	Tyler Hager	So.	6'5"	Forward
5	Orien Campbell	Jr.	6'3"	Forward

Read More: Former CBA Teammates Lynch and Billet Meet as Coaches in Shore Conference Final

The Match-up

CBA was no match for last year’s version of St. Rose, which handled the Colts in both of their meetings during the 2023-24 season. The second of those was in the Shore Conference Tournament semifinals – the penultimate game in the Purple Roses’ run to their first ever Shore Conference championship.

Four starters returned from last year’s CBA starting lineup with one thing in mind: close the considerable gap between them and St. Rose and end CBA’s 15-year drought without a Shore Conference Tournament championship. Seniors Justin Fuerbacher and Kevin Pikiel and juniors Charlie Marcoullier and Connor Andree are in their second season as a starting unit together and will play in their first SCT final Friday at Monmouth. It will also mark the first time in an SCT final for CBA since the 2016 final.

This version of CBA is as balanced as any Colts team since the last one to win a Shore Conference Tournament title back in 2010. On top of the four returning starters, CBA has gotten steady contributions from junior guard Gavin Marlin, sophomore center David Buley and junior guard Charlie Messano – all of whom have had at least two games in double-figure scoring.

Three CBA players enter Friday averaging at least 10 points per game, led by Pikiell (13.9 per game) and followed by Fuerbacher (13.1) and Marcoullier (10.3), with Andree (9.3) just shy of the 10-point-per-game mark. That core has led the Colts on a 14-game winning streak heading into the championship game and prior to its low-scoring, semifinal slugfest with Rumson, CBA had scored at least 70 points in six straight games, bookended by wins over Red Bank and Rumson-Fair Haven – two teams ranked among the top six teams in the conference.

While the offense has clicked for CBA in the last month, its defense is what makes the Colts so difficult to beat. CBA is currently 8-1 vs. teams ranked in the Shore Sports Insider Top 10 and in those nine games, the Colts allowed an average of 43.3 points in those games, including four games holding their opponent under 40 points.

Injuries slowed the Colts down in the early going, but when CBA has had a fully healthy lineup, the Colts are unbeaten. They technically played all of their primary players in a loss to Morris Catholic in December, but both Fuerbacher and Marcoullier played limited minutes just days after suffering sprained ankles. Marcoullier would later miss five more games after aggravating the ankle sprain.

St. Rose can match CBA’s depth player for player, but the Purple Roses also have a four-star junior leading the way who can take over a game in a way that few players in the state can. Jayden Hodge is a two-way menace for the Purple Roses, averaging 19.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.7 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. He took over the quarterfinal win over Central en route to 25 points, eight rebounds, five steals and three blocked shots in a 22-point win over a 22-win Golden Eagles team. In the last round vs. Manasquan, Hodge scored only 12 points, but he held Manasquan leading scorer Rey Weinseimer to nine on the defensive end.

The Purple Roses’ semifinal win over Manasquan showcased their ability to lean on its wide range of scorers. Senior Bryan Ebeling turned in a breakout performance with 20 points, while senior Evan Romano (nine points), freshman Izayah Cooper (eight) and junior Tyler Cameron (eight) each had their moments on offense. Even with third-leading scorer Avery Lynch going scoreless in the game, St. Rose put up 59 points and ran away from a Manasquan team that leads the Shore Conference in NJSIAA power points.

While CBA enters Friday on a 14-game winning streak, St. Rose carries with it a 30-game winning streak vs. Shore Conference opponents that dates back to a regular-season loss to Marlboro in February of 2023. Only one of those 30 wins was decided by fewer than 10 points and that was a win at Manasquan in December.

X-Factor: The Sixth Men

Both teams are not only capable off the bench; each has an underclassmen who can serve as a game-changer once they get into the game. At 6-foot-8, Buley is taller than any player the St. Rose can put on him and he also has range out to the three-point line. The paint, however, is where he can make the biggest difference for the Colts, whose one clear advantage over St. Rose is their size in the front court.

On the other side, Cooper is St. Rose’s spark off the bench. The freshman guard has hit big shots throughout the year for the Purple Roses – both from the perimeter and using his pull-up game. Cooper is also an adept defender and passer, tools that make him hard to take off the floor, even as a freshman who does not start.

Buley and Cooper are the standouts on two of the best benches in the Shore Conference, with freshman Oymere Rene, 6-5 sophomore Tyler Hager and junior guard Orien Campbell also giving Brian Lynch options off the St. Rose bench.

The Verdict

Since Jayden Hodge showed up at St. Rose with his older brother, Matt, and Ebeling two years ago – Lynch’s second season at the helm – St. Rose is 4-0 vs. CBA with three lopsided wins after the first meeting was a 59-51 win for the Purple Roses. As they have against most teams in the Shore Conference, the Purple Roses have overwhelmed the Colts with their talent.

This time around could be different because CBA has indeed closed the gap in talent. The Colts are balanced and well-rounded as a roster and can match up player-for-player with St. Rose better than any team in the Shore Conference. In that sense, CBA heads into Friday night with a chance to snap the longest SCT title drought in program history and doing so with what could likely be considered the biggest championship upset of the last decade.

One stark contrast between the teams that favors St. Rose is the schedules the two teams have played. The Purple Roses have played five out-of-state opponents, plus the Patrick School, St. Peter’s Prep, Gill St. Bernard’s, Rutgers Prep, Montgomery and Union Catholic. CBA, meanwhile, has not played an opponent outside the Shore since it went 1-2 at the J.P. Flynn Classic during the holiday break in December. St. Rose’s schedule has the Purple Roses prepared for anything, while CBA’s has been enough to get the Colts to the final as the No. 2 seed. It might not, however, be enough to prepare them to play at the level required to beat St. Rose if the Purple Roses are on their game. Geoff Billet will have his team well prepared and his players can physically match up with St. Rose’s group, but there is no substitute for championship-level experience and St. Rose has it in spades.

The Pick: St. Rose, 57-47

SCT Semifinal Picks Record: 2-0

2025 SCT Picks Record: 13-5