Shore Sports Insider Week 3 Boys Basketball Top 10
Shore Sports Insider Boys Basketball Top 10 — Week 3
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From the outset of the season, the prognosis for the Shore Conference was that there was a clear No. 1 team, but a very competitive race brewing for No. 2. So far, that has played out to the letter, with CBA showing no signs of letting the No. 1 spot slip through its grasp.
Meanwhile, this week marks the third different team occupying the No. 2 spot in just four editions of the Shore Sports Insider Top 10 this season. There is also only one remaining undefeated team in the conference, which also happens to be the new name at No. 2.
As for the rest of the rankings, a pair of Ocean County teams fell out while two more jumped in to make their Top 10 debuts in 2025-26. In addition, the preseason No. 2 team makes a push back up the rankings after a shaky start to the season.
CBA senior Charlie Messano throws down a dunk vs. Linden Saturday at Middletown South High School in the Hoop Group Boardwalk Showcase. (Photo: Patrick Olivero)
1. Christian Brothers Academy (9-1, 2-0) Last Week: 1
CBA finally faced its first Shore Conference competition last week and it went about how one would expect it to go. The Colts routed both Holmdel and St. Rose by 30-plus points before beating Linden on Saturday at the Boardwalk Showcase for their second win over a top 10 team in the state in a span of eight days (Roselle Catholic was the other). The Colts are now 8-0 vs. teams in New Jersey and will put that mark to the test this week, when they face Rumson-Fair Haven on Monday and Bergen Catholic – the No. 2 team in the state – on Wednesday in a pair of road games.
2. Wall (8-0, 2-0) Last Week: 3
The Crimson Knights are the last remaining undefeated team in the Shore Conference and they extended that run last week with three convincing victories. Wall beat Howell, St. John Vianney and Ranney by an average margin of 22.3 points, with Saturday’s 80-63 win over Ranney the closest of the three. Wall’s résumé is currently highlighted by four straight wins over ranked opponents (Red Bank Catholic, Manasquan, Freehold Township, Howell) and the Knights will face two more tough teams this week, when they take on Middletown South on Tuesday and travel to Freehold Township on Friday.
Wall senior Brian McKenna (2) gets past Howell senior Cayden Parker for a shot. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)
3. Rumson-Fair Haven (10-1, 2-0) Last Week: 2
Rumson’s first loss was an ugly one – a 68-54 defeat at the hands of Middletown South in which Rumson was never closer than six points following a 9-2 start to the game. The Bulldogs already started the game without injured senior starters Luke Cruz and Drew Cavise and then had two other starters playing through ailments in Luke Lydon (foot) and Blake Ahmann (illness). There is going to be carryover Monday vs. CBA, which is likely to sap some of the intrigue from a game that would have been between the top two teams in the Shore Conference had Rumson remained healthy and beaten Middletown South on Saturday. As it stands, the Bulldogs will do their best to survive a week that includes CBA, a trip to Manasquan and a Saturday showdown with reigning South Jersey Group IV champion Lenape at Central Regional’s Jimmy V Showcase.
4. Red Bank Catholic (8-2, 2-0) Last Week: 4
RBC fought off two tough tests last week vs. Marlboro and Ranney, then pulled away for a win over Lawrence to close out the week on Saturday. The Caseys rallied to snag a 53-52 home win over Marlboro, then survived a fourth-quarter comeback vs. Ranney to win, 69-65, after leading by 20. Their only losses so far are to Rumson-Fair Haven and Wall, which are a combined 18-1, and RBC’s upcoming week will conclude with a road clash at CBA in the annual Founders Cup, with games vs. Freehold Boro and Middletown North leading up to the rivalry game.
Red Bank Catholic junior Tyler Hager blocks a shot by Rumson-Fair Haven junior Casey Moore. (Photo: Patrick Olivero)
5. Howell (6-2, 1-1) Last Week: 7
After dropping a 64-40 loss to Wall in which nothing went right, Howell did not appear to be a team on the verge of climbing in the rankings. Then, the Rebels upended Freehold Township, which now gives Howell wins over two ranked teams (Marlboro and Freehold Township), the only win against 11-1 East Brunswick, and two losses to ranked teams (Marlboro and Wall). The Rebels will look to handle their affairs this week vs. Manalapan, Matawan and Middletown South, with Manalapan expecting to insert junior College Achieve transfer Joe Farino into the starting lineup on Tuesday for his first game of the season.
6. Manasquan (6-4, 2-0) Last Week: 9
A second loss to Jackson dropped Manasquan to 2-4 on Dec. 30 and the Warriors ended 2025 having scored four points or fewer in five out of eight quarters. Since ringing in the New Year, Manasquan has left 2025 in the rearview mirror and begun to play like the team that opened the season ranked No. 2 in the Shore Conference. The Warriors rolled through Rancocas Valley, then went on the road for double-digit wins over St. Rose and Red Bank. On Saturday, Manasquan mowed through Freehold Township while holding the Patriots’ top two scorers without a point. After averaging just 31.3 points at the Kevin Williams Christmas Classic, Manasquan has scored 54 or more in three straight and is averaging 54.75 in 2026. The Warriors will put their hot streak to the test this week vs. Holmdel, Rumson and Rutgers Prep.
7. Point Pleasant Beach (8-2, 2-0) Last Week: Not ranked
The Garnet Gulls began the season knocking on the door to the Top 10 and this past week, they finally pushed through the doorway and find themselves enjoying the party. Point Beach’s only losses this season are a heart-breaker vs. Manasquan and a consolation loss to Red Bank Catholic, both at the Kevin Williams Christmas Classic. In each of Point Beach’s last three wins – over Central, Brick Memorial and Point Boro – the Gulls overcame double-digit deficits to pick up victories, including erasing a 12-point third-quarter hole at Point Boro on Friday. Point Beach now faces a run of games against teams not currently on the top 10 radar, starting with Toms River East, Toms River South, New Egypt and Lacey this week.
8. Freehold Township (6-4, 1-1) Last Week: 5
After climbing to No. 5 last week, the Patriots dropped back-to-back games vs. Howell and Manasquan to end this week and fall three spots. A source of their struggles to end the week, beyond the tough competition, was the absence of point guard Cole Gerigk, who suffered a broken nose in a win over Toms River North on Jan. 3. In addition to not having Gerigk vs. Manasquan, the Patriots also go no scoring from their top two per-game scorers, Jake Schultzel and John O’Neill, in the game, so it might even have been an accomplishment to only lose by 13 points. Freehold Township will look to rebound this week against St. John Vianney, followed by a rematch with Wall on Friday.
9. Marlboro (7-2, 1-1) Last Week: 10
Other than CBA at No. 1, Marlboro has been the steadiest team in the top 10 this year. The Mustangs opened at No. 9, fell one spot to No. 10, and are back at No. 9 this week after suffering a tough, one-point loss at Red Bank Catholic, followed by one-sided wins vs. Freehold Boro and Toms River East. A season-opening win over Howell already carried a lot of weight for Marlboro and Middletown South’s Saturday win over Rumson-Fair Haven adds some impact to the Mustangs’ two-point win over the Eagles at the Buc Classic. Marlboro will have to deal with two teams coming for their top 10 spot this week in Colts Neck and Ranney, followed by a non-conference clash with Bayonne.
10. Central (6-3, 2-0) Last Week: Not ranked
The debate for the final spot in the Top 10 comes down to Central, Middletown South, Holmdel and Ranney and the nod goes to Central for being the most consistent team in the group. The Golden Eagles suffered a two-point loss to Point Beach on Jan. 3, then rebounded with wins over Barnegat and Brick, followed by a huge Class A South win over Southern. The win over the Rams and two wins over Brick Memorial are the best wins for the Golden Eagles so far, while their losses are all to Top 10 teams: Red Bank Catholic, Freehold Township and Point Beach. Central puts their newly-ranked status on the line Monday at Donovan Catholic.
Dropped Out
Jackson (7-3, 1-1) Last Week: 6 – The Jaguars could not keep up with Southern earlier in the week and are now battling injuries, with both sophomore Mi’Aire Anderson and senior Randy Holmes Jr. missing time.
Southern (4-5, 1-1) Last Week: 8 – After nailing down a big win over Jackson to open Class A South play, Southern stumbled on back-to-back days in losses to Central and Colts Neck.
The Next 10
Middletown South (8-2, 2-0) – A convincing win over a short-handed Rumson team has Middletown South on the cusp of the top 10 after the Eagles had to scratch and claw to beat Raritan, St. John Vianney and Manalapan in the three games prior. This week’s slate vs. Wall and Howell will be Middletown South’s chance to kick down the door.
Holmdel (4-3, 0-2) – The Hornets could not quite make enough shots to pull off the upset at Rumson, then made just enough to avoid an upset vs. St. John Vianney last week.
Ranney (4-5, 2-1) – After nearly coming back from a 20-point deficit in a loss to No. 4 RBC, Ranney closed a tough week by scoring 63 points in a loss to Wall, a team that entered the game giving up an average of 37.4 per game.
Donovan Catholic (4-3, 0-1) – The Griffins nearly threw their name into the conversation for No. 10, but could not get over the hump in a 51-50 loss to Jackon to close their week.
Red Bank (5-7, 0-2) – With the exception of a loss to East Brunswick (11-1), all of Red Bank’s losses are to teams that have been in the SSI Top 10 this year. Jackson is the only one of those teams that is not in the current Top 10.
Colts Neck (5-3, 1-1) – A close loss to Ranney was a tough way for Colts Neck to start the week, but finishing it with a home win over Southern gave the Cougars’ résumé a major boost.
Brick Memorial (5-5, 1-1) – The Mustangs got Nyzier Matthews back in the lineup to give them a more complete rotation as they head into the teeth of their Class B South divisional schedule, plus a road opportunity against a surging Middletown South squad on Saturday.
Point Pleasant Boro (4-4, 1-1) – After a 1-3 start, Point Boro has one three of four, with the only loss coming in Friday’s down-to-the-wire rivalry game vs. Point Beach.
Matawan (5-5, 3-0) – The Huskies enter the new week on a three-game winning streak, all of which were division wins that have them set up as the current front-runner in the Class B Central division.
Ocean (6-6, 3-1) – The Spartans continued to battle a challenging schedule last week, which included a key divisional win over Monmouth Regional. Only two teams have come within single-digits of beating No. 2 Wall and Ocean is one of them.
