Colts Neck Boys Basketball Named Week 2 OIB Ortho Team of the Week | Shore Sports Insider
Week 2 OIB Ortho Team of the Week: Colts Neck Boys Basketball
Shore Sports Insider is proud to partner with OIB Ortho this winter to present our weekly OIB Ortho Boys Basketball Team of the Week Award, recognizing standout Shore Conference programs for their accomplishments on the court.
We are also thrilled to welcome Joe Leone’s Italian Specialties as a co-sponsor, providing a generous $250 gift card each week to celebrate the winning team.
The Week 2 recipient of the 2026 OIB Ortho Team of the Week is Colts Neck, following a week in which the Cougars went a perfect 3-0. After winning the NJSIAA Group III championship last March, the Cougars graduated four starters and looked like a team missing experience during a 3-3 start to the season that included three losses to teams that entered the week with records of .500 or worse: Red Bank (6-8), Toms River East (5-6) and Ranney (6-6).
Since losing a close road game to Ranney, Colts Neck has started to look more like a defending state champion.
Colts Neck defeated Marlboro in a 37-32 defensive duel behind nine points, five rebounds, and three assists from senior guard Liam Collura. Marlboro is currently ranked No. 8 in the Shore Sports Insider Top 10 and responded to its loss to Colts Neck by beating Ranney (6-6) and Bayonne (11-3). The Mustangs have not scored fewer than 49 points in any other game this season and scored nearly 25 points under their 56.7 points-per-game average on the season.
The Cougars followed up that win over Marlboro with a 40-29 victory over Freehold Boro in a game in which sophomore guard Nate Sloane notched a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. The Cougars finished the week with a 49-47 win over Ferris at the Suicide Awareness Showcase behind another double-double from Sloane who finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Senior guard Dillon Younger nearly had a double-double of his own with 15 points and eight rebounds.
The three wins last week are part of a four-game winning streak that began with a win over Middletown North and took off on Saturday, Jan. 10, when Colts Neck handed Southern Regional a 68-57 loss in Colts Neck. Southern opened the season the No. 5 team in the SSI Top 10 and was No. 8 when Colts Neck knocked them off behind 23 points, four assists and six steals from Younger, backed up by 17 points and 13 boards by Sloane.
The reigning Group III champions will try to make a statement this week, which they open Tuesday with home game vs. No. 4 Red Bank Catholic, followed by a rematch with Ranney at home on Thursday.
On Monday, Shore Sports Insider visited practice to present Colts Neck head coach Steven Jannarone and the team with a commemorative game ball and a $250 Joe Leone’s Italian Specialties Gift Card, courtesy of our partners at Joe Leone’s, for a well-earned team meal.
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