Shore Sports Insider Week 4 Boys Basketball Top 10

Shore Sports Insider Boys Basketball Top 10 — Week 4

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For the first time in 2025, there is real movement in the bottom of the top 10. Two teams that have yet to appear in the rankings are finally in this week and neither of them debuts at No. 10. The 10 teams in the rankings were solid heading into the New Year, but they entered the week in the crosshairs of the two newcomers, who took advantage of their respective opportunities this week.

As for the top of the rankings, the six teams that have distinguished themselves this year remain in the top six spots, although one of them – Rumson-Fair Haven – suffered the first Shore Conference loss of any team in the group outside the top six. It has not cost the Bulldogs much to this point, but it will be something to keep in mind as February approaches.

1. St. Rose (9-4, 5-0) Last Week: 1

A hard-fought, 50-48 win over Montgomery snapped the Cougars’ 10-game winning streak and was supposed to be the first of two high-profile games over the weekend, but St. Rose’s Sunday scheduled game vs. Bergen Catholic was canceled due to snow. That is one less opportunity for the Purple Roses to climb the charts in power points, but the Montgomery win was a big one in that regard and there is another one coming Wednesday at home vs. Manasquan.

2. Manasquan (11-1, 4-1) Last Week: 2

Heading into the home stretch of January, Manasquan has a comfortable lead over the Shore Conference field in power points and has nailed down wins over three opponents in the Shore top six – more than any other team has. If the Warriors can knock off St. Rose on the road on Wednesday, their power-point advantage could get to the point of being insurmountable and their case to be No. 1 in the rankings would be close to airtight.

3. Central (12-1, 4-0) Last Week: 3

On the scoreboard, it was an easy week for Central, which won its three games comfortably, but it was an important one in the Class A South standings. The Golden Eagles took care of Donovan Catholic at home, which established Central at the top of the division standings as the lone remaining team in A South with a perfect divisional record. This is another big divisional week for the Golden Eagles, who are scheduled for trips to Southern and Toms River North.

4. Red Bank (12-1, 4-0) Last Week: 6

After losing to Central at the Boardwalk Showcase, Red Bank regrouped last week and picked up a huge road win over Rumson-Fair Haven to move into sole possession of first place in the Class B North division. The Bucs have beaten a wide array of opponents and are second in the Shore Conference in power points, trailing only Manasquan – one of few top 10 teams not on Red Bank’s regular-season schedule. Three more top-10 showdowns await this week: Holmdel, Red Bank Catholic and CBA.

5. Christian Brothers Academy (9-3, 4-0) Last Week: 4

CBA holds onto a top-five spot in the rankings thanks to a win at Red Bank Catholic Saturday that went down to the wire. With Rumson losing in the same gym earlier in the week, CBA remains positioned ahead of the Bulldogs as it tried to round into form. Junior Charlie Marcoullier returned to the lineup on Saturday after after missing five games with an ankle sprain, given CBA its full starting five to go with a deep bench heading into a week that includes games vs. Freehold Township, Marlboro and No. 4 Red Bank.

6. Rumson-Fair Haven (8-3, 2-2) Last Week: 5

Losses to Red Bank Catholic and Red Bank knock the Bulldogs out of the top five, but they remain in the top six thanks to an earlier win over Holmdel combined with Holmdel’s win over Red Bank Catholic on Thursday. The Bulldogs have now blown double-digit leads in all three of their losses – two of which are to top-five teams Manasquan and Red Bank. If Rumson can clean up some of the late-game snafus and find its three-point rhythm, the Bulldogs would be as dangerous as any team in the Shore Conference heading into the postseason.

7. Holmdel (7-4, 3-1) Last Week: Not ranked

After weeks of pounding on the door to the top 10, the Hornets finally kicked it in this week by beating both Red Bank Catholic and Ranney in back-to-back games. While RBC was not ranked last week, the Caseys were coming off a home win over Rumson-Fair Haven – which is one of the four teams that have beat Holmdel this season. The Hornets’ first test as a newly-minted top 10 team will be at Red Bank on Tuesday.

8. Colts Neck (5-4, 2-1) Last Week: 8

Three of Colts Neck’s four losses are to top-five opponents (Central, Red Bank and CBA), its other loss is out of area (Hightstown) and the Cougars have a quality win over Red Bank Catholic, although the Caseys were not playing as well when the two teams met in December as they are right now. Still, Colts Neck has been a steady team and even hung with CBA for 25 minutes before the Colts buried the Cougars with a 17-0 run to close out their win at Colts Neck last week.

9. Red Bank Catholic (7-6, 2-2) Last Week: Not ranked

The Caseys make their top 10 debut in 2024-25 despite posting a 1-2 record over the last week of games. That is because RBC has about as tough of a week as anybody in the Shore, with Rumson, Holmdel and CBA on the docket. The Caseys knocked off Rumson to start the week, dropped a road game at Holmdel and pushed CBA to the limit before dropping the Founder’s Cup rivalry game. RBC will try to protect its spot this week against St. John Vianney, Red Bank and Ranney.

10. Southern (9-3, 3-1) Last Week: 9

The Rams hold onto the final spot in the top 10 thanks to a win over Freehold Boro and have a case to be ahead of RBC due to a win over a team that beat RBC (Toms River North). Southern also has a loss vs. a team that lost to RBC (Donovan Catholic) and although the Rams beat Freehold Boro when the Colonials were ranked, they have not beat a team that is currently ranked. Southern gets a chance to change that Tuesday, when it hosts Central.

Dropped Out

Freehold Boro (9-6, 3-0) Last Week: 7 – Good weeks by Holmdel and RBC bump Freehold Boro from the ranks and with the hard part of Freehold Boro’s schedule over, the Colonials will just look to rack up the wins and pounce if any of the other ranked teams falter.

Ranney (7-3, 3-1) Last Week: 10 – An injury to 6-foot-4 sophomore Brody Mauro makes Ranney even more guard-dependent than in already was and games this week vs. Colts Neck and RBC will be telling.

The Next 10

Wall (10-3, 3-0) – A loss to Howell last week keeps the Crimson Knights an arm’s length from the top 10, but they look like heavy favorites in the Class B Central division heading into a crucial game vs. Neptune this week.

Marlboro (5-8, 1-3) – The record is not good, but the schedule is and the Mustangs have been competitive against it while playing with a young roster.

Middletown South (7-5, 1-3) – The Eagles have been solid and will have plenty of opportunities to beat ranked teams while playing in the Class A Coastal division.

Point Pleasant Boro (9-3, 1-3) – Winning division games for most of the teams in Class A Central is very challenging and the Panthers will have an opportunity vs. Brick Memorial in what should be a competitive game.

Middletown North (8-6, 2-1) – The Lions went 1-1 in Springfield, Mass. this weekend and got a season-best performance from Eddie Lopez. If Lopez can shake a foot injury that has slowed him down for most of the season, the Lions have a formidable one-two punch with he and Colin Byrne.

Donovan Catholic (5-8, 3-1) – The Griffins have not been a model of consistency, but they have shown flashes of being a team that can compete with top 10 teams.

Point Pleasant Beach (8-5, 3-1) – The Garnet Gulls handled Neptune at home and after losing on the road to Wall, they will be pulling for Neptune to beat Wall this week and make this a three-team race again heading into the second time through the schedule.

Neptune (9-2, 2-1) – A 28-point loss at Point Beach was not pretty, but the Scarlet Fliers have since gained two transfers in Jordan Pierre and Faniel Shakur and are 2-0 since both became eligible.

Brick Memorial (7-7, 1-3) – The Mustangs are 1-6 since the scheduled ramped up and enter a huge game vs. Point Boro Tuesday looking to end a five-game losing streak.

Toms River North (5-8, 2-2) – The roster has flashed potential and the Mariners have a wins over Red Bank Catholic that is a high point of what has been a roller-coaster season thus far.