Shore Sports Insider Week 10 Boys Basketball Top 10

Shore Sports Insider Boys Basketball Top 10 — Week 10

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With seasons ending for many Shore Conference teams last week and several others likely to end in the coming days, the Top 10 is getting closer to its final state. With that said, there is still plenty to decide in the next week or two of playoff basketball and a lot has already changed as a result of last week’s action.

For almost the entire season, there has been a clear top-six in the Shore Conference rankings. In some order, St. Rose, Manasquan, Christian Brothers Academy, Central Regional, Red Bank and Rumson-Fair Haven have occupied those top six spots since the beginning of January, and no team has come all that close to breaking up those six.

That changed Saturday, when Freehold Boro upset Red Bank in the Central Jersey Group III quarterfinals – the second straight year the Colonials have beaten Red Bank on the road in the state playoffs. Freehold Boro is the only other team to spend any time ranked in the top-six of the rankings this season, but dropped out of that range with a December loss at Red Bank in the Buc Classic.

Now, the Colonials have a case to finish the season ranked in the top six and will look to keep climbing. Meanwhile, Rumson-Fair Haven hopes to do what Freehold Boro did by avenging a December loss to Manasquan by beating the Warriors in the Central Jersey Group II final. Both teams still have to get there and, unlike Freehold Boro, Rumson lost to Manasquan in last year’s sectional final. However, if the Bulldogs can win their fourth sectional title in the last eight tournaments, they can also disrupt the top of the rankings.

At the bottom of the top 10, Holmdel and Colts Neck still have a chance to surge, while several teams on the outskirts of the top 10 gear up for their last push to crack the final rankings.

1. St. Rose (20-7, 10-0) Last Week: 1

The Purple Roses will play their final game against a Shore Conference team this season on Monday when they host Ranney in the South Jersey Non-Public B quarterfinals. If Ranney were to pull the shocking upset, St. Rose would still have a firm grip on the top spot thanks to its Shore Conference Tournament title run that included wins over the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 teams on this list. In other words: St. Rose has once again conquered the Shore and is now playing for a second straight Non-Public B title and the highest possible finish in the state rankings.

2. Manasquan (20-4, 8-2) Last Week: 2

It is not quite a lock that Manasquan will finish No. 2, but regardless of what happens the rest of the season, the Warriors have already made a convincing case. They have beaten six of the other nine teams in the top 10, including the five teams ranked directly behind them in the rankings. If Manasquan can hold serve vs. Robbinsville at home on Monday, it could very well face two Shore Conference teams in the final two rounds of the Central Group II section: Wall and Rumson-Fair Haven.

3. Christian Brothers Academy (20-4, 10-0) Last Week: 3

CBA reached the final of the Shore Conference Tournament for the first time since 2016 and is still alive in the race for No. 2 in the Shore Conference, although the Colts would have to do some serious work in a loaded Non-Public A field. First up in that pursuit is a game against Immaculata in the South Non-Public B quarterfinals, with a matchup at St. Peter’s Prep – the No. 2 team in the state and CBA’s chance to play their way closer to the No. 2 ranking at the Shore – looming should both teams win at home on Monday.

4. Central (23-3, 10-0) Last Week: 4

There is plenty at stake this week for Central and its senior-laden group. The Golden Eagles have a chance to reach their first sectional final with two more wins, which would also give them 25 wins on the season and guarantee that no team from the Shore would have more wins this year. That win over Freehold Boro in the SCT round of 16 also looks even better right now.

5. Rumson-Fair Haven (18-6, 7-3) Last Week: 6

The Bulldogs have the best chance of any team in the Shore to upset the top-half of the final rankings thanks to the position within Central Jersey Group II as the top threat to Manasquan’s six-year run of sectional championships. First, however, Rumson has to avoid a slip-up vs. Metuchen and then deal with a Shore Conference opponent in the semifinals in either Holmdel or Point Boro.

6. Freehold Boro (20-7, 10-0) Last Week: 8

For the second straight year, Freehold Boro has saved its best for last. On Saturday, the Colonials went into the field house at Red Bank Regional to play a top-seeded team in the Central Jersey Group III playoffs and beat the Bucs. This time, it was an all-around team effort from a squad that has relied heavily on its top three players – Brian Tassey, Aidan Hamlin-Woolfolk and Qua’Mir Everett – this year.

7. Red Bank (22-5, 10-0) Last Week: 5

Another outstanding season for Red Bank ended with a home loss to Freehold Boro in the state tournament. This year’s loss was particularly frustrating for the Bucs because an injury to Ryan Fisher in the team’s first-round win over Matawan limited the senior against Freehold Boro. With Red Bank’s leading per-game scorer compromised, the Bucs did not get a chance to redeem themselves for last year’s loss to Freehold Boro at full strength and saw their season end again – this time with five integral seniors set to graduate.

8. Holmdel (16-8, 6-4) Last Week: 7

The Hornets have yet to beat an opponent currently ranked ahead of them, but they are one win away from getting at least one more shot to do so. Holmdel lost twice each to Red Bank, Rumson and CBA, and if they can beat Point Pleasant Boro on Tuesday, the Hornets are likely to get one more game against Rumson – against whom Holmdel played two competitive games during the season.

9. Colts Neck (16-9, 6-4) Last Week: 9

The Cougars saved their season and ensured their continued residence in the top 10 with a buzzer-beating win over Hopewell Valley on Saturday in the Central Jersey Group III quarterfinals. Colts Neck’s defense won the day, holding Hopewell Valley scoreless for the final 8:44 of the game. Now, the Cougars will look to tap into that defensive effort again Tuesday at home against Freehold Boro in a game that will likely guarantee the winner a top-eight ranking to finish the season.

10. Red Bank Catholic (14-12, 5-5) Last Week: 10

The Caseys are the only top 10 team that was eliminated from the state tournament before the start of the current week and there are some teams that will take a run at this No. 10 spot in the next several days as RBC remains idle. The reason the Caseys are likely – albeit, not guaranteed – to finish in the top 10 is because they have a win over a top-five team (Rumson) and have also beaten the team that is currently the next most deserving team for the No. 10 spot.

The Next 10

Wall (20-5, 10-0) – The Crimson Knights’ loss to RBC came between the Shore Conference and NJSIAA Tournaments, so a jump to No. 10 is still possible. It will, however, require a strong finish to the season, which would likely including, at the very least, giving Manasquan a scare in the Central Jersey Group II semifinals.

Southern (18-8, 7-3) – The Rams will try to revive their top 10 hopes by shocking top-seeded Cherry Hill East in the South Jersey Group IV quarterfinals on Monday. A win over Freehold Boro gives Southern a good case to be included as it is, but a post-SCT loss to Wall complicates things.

Middletown North (17-9, 9-1) – The Lions got a rough draw in the Central Jersey Group III playoffs with Freehold Boro in the first round, but it was a chance for Middletown North to win its way into the rankings. Despite coming up short in that regard, 2024-25 was a major step forward for the program, which won a division title for the first time in 14 years.

Jackson Memorial (10-16, 5-5) – A challenging schedule wasn’t the only adversity the Jaguars faced. Injuries weighed Jackson Memorial down throughout the season and a 1-7 start was the result of waiting for George Boley to become eligible.

Freehold Twp. (13-12, 4-6) – After an up-and-down regular season left Freehold Township just shy of qualifying for the Shore Conference Tournament, the Patriots look to be peaking at the right time as they head into a Central Group IV semifinal showdown at Sayreville on Monday.

Ranney (13-10, 5-5) – The Panthers shot the lights out in their round-one win over Doane Academy and will get their first shot at St. Rose this season in the South Jersey Non-Public B quarterfinals. Excluding a pick-up loss at Marlboro in February of 2023, Ranney is the last Shore Conference team to beat St. Rose.

Point Beach (20-7, 8-2) – What looked like a convincing victory on Saturday vs. Henry Hudson nearly turned into a devastating defeat, but the Garnet Gulls overcame the loss of two starters during the fourth quarter and beat the Admirals at the buzzer to extend their season and reach the 20-win mark for the first time since the 2017-18 season.

Howell (14-12, 3-7) – Both of Howell’s tournament losses were heartbreakers, the latest a 54-53 loss at Kingsway last week in which the Rebels led, 53-47 with two minutes to go. Despite the disappointment, the last two seasons are in the running for the best consecutive seasons that Howell boys basketball has ever had.

Marlboro (10-16, 4-6) – Injuries and illness plagued the Mustangs during the tail-end of the season and when the Mustangs took to the court in the first round of the NJSIAA Tournament vs. Freehold Township, they did not have enough to keep up with the Patriots. The good news is Marlboro has a young core that plans to come back better and healthier for 2025-26.

Barnegat (16-10, 7-1) – The Bengals bowed against Lower Cape May in the first round of the South Jersey Group II playoffs, ending a season in which Barnegat won its first division championship and reached the Shore Conference Tournament for the second straight year.