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Shore Sports Insider Week 6 Boys Basketball Top 10

Shore Sports Insider Boys Basketball Top 10 — Week 6

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With one week left in the Shore Conference regular season, the Shore Sports Insider Boys Basketball rankings have kept a consistent shape for the last several weeks, but several details still need to be ironed out before the start of the Shore Conference Tournament. The top six teams in the rankings have created distance between themselves and the rest of the pack and within that top six, St. Rose and Manasquan have stood out. The next four teams – Central, CBA, Red Bank and Rumson-Fair Haven – are all close to one another and have all been competitive with Manasquan in games they ultimately lost.

The Shore Conference Tournament seeding, however, is a different story. While St. Rose has a path to the No. 1 seed, the Purple Roses will almost certainly not finish with the highest power-point total in the field and could even slip as low as No. 6 if enough goes against them this week. Beyond St. Rose, the battle between CBA, Central and Rumson for Nos. 4 through 6 will be tight and CBA and Central could both jump into the top three if they and up seeded directly behind Red Bank – whom both CBA and Central beat head-to-head.

Holmdel is essentially a lock for No. 7 thanks to a head-to-head win over Wall – the only team that looks mathematically viable as a threat to pass Holmdel – and two head-to-head losses to Rumson.

The bottom of the top 10 remains wide-open, with some key head-to-head results (Colts Neck over Red Bank Catholic; Southern over Freehold Boro) playing a role in the current rankings.

1. St. Rose (14-5, 9-0) Last Week: 1

St. Rose will look to finish off a perfect run through the Class A Central division against Brick Memorial this week, then turn its attention to St. Peter’s Prep Thursday in the Metro Classic. If the Purple Roses can knock off the Marauders, the No. 1 seed in the Shore Conference Tournament could be in play.

2. Manasquan (16-2, 7-2) Last Week: 2

With road win over Red Bank, Manasquan now has wins over Nos. 3, 4, 5 and 6 in the rankings and its only two losses are to No. 1 St. Rose. The Warriors are a virtual lock to lead the Shore Conference in power points, which will give them the No. 1 seed in the Shore Conference Tournament if St. Rose does not climb up to second in power points. Manasquan closes out its division schedule this week vs. Howell, then will play another state-ranked team in Gill St. Bernard’s on Friday at the Metro Classic.

3. Christian Brothers Academy (14-3, 8-0) Last Week: 4

For the second straight week, CBA is the lone team in the SSI Top 10 to move up a spot, with the Colts – winners of nine straight – inching up to No. 3 for the first time since the beginning of January. CBA has already clinched the Class A North championship and will try to go 10-0 in the division this week by beating Manalapan and Freehold Township, which might not be enough to get the Colts into the top three of the Shore Conference Tournament seeding but it would likely keep CBA in the SSI top three.

4. Central (17-2, 8-0) Last Week: 3

A one-point loss to Cinnaminson drops Central below CBA. The comparison between the two teams was close last week and it remains close, especially considering Central was not a full strength for Saturday’s loss to the Pirates. Before the Golden Eagles worry about their SCT seeding or their Shore ranking, they will try to wrap up the outright Class A South championship by beating Donovan Catholic on Tuesday, then finish an undefeated run through the division by beating Southern on Friday.

5. Red Bank (16-3, 8-0) Last Week: 5

An injury to leading scorer Ryan Fisher may have cost the Bucs on back-to-back Saturdays – first with CBA beating Red Bank after Fisher sustained a concussion in the final three minutes of the game and again with Manasquan beating Red Bank on Saturday. Despite the recent injury-related hardship, Red Bank is still just one win away from clinching the outright Class A Coastal championship, with its two chances to clinch coming this week against Rumson-Fair Haven and Holmdel.

6. Rumson-Fair Haven (13-4, 6-2) Last Week: 6

Rumson had a big week, topping both Holmdel and Red Bank Catholic at home, then putting a scare into Hudson Catholic before falling, 57-49. The upcoming week will be another telling one for the Bulldogs, who travel down the road to face Red Bank on Tuesday with a chance to extend their fight for a share of the Class A Coastal division title with a win over the rival Bucs.

7. Holmdel (10-6, 5-3) Last Week: 7

The Hornets will get two more chances to add to their SCT and Top 10 résumés this week with games against Red Bank Catholic and Red Bank before the SCT cutoff. The division title is no longer a possibility after the Hornets dropped a second game to Rumson this past Tuesday, but the Hornets remain solid as the No. 7 seed and a win over RBC Tuesday would all but lock that up.

8. Colts Neck (9-6, 4-3) Last Week: 8

After picking up a much-needed overtime win at Ferris on Saturday with leading scorer Lukas Sloan out of the lineup, the Cougars will try to nail down a top eight seed in the Shore Conference Tournament this week with two games against eight-win teams Freehold Township and Ranney and another against Manalapan to close out the regular season.

9. Red Bank Catholic (11-8, 4-4) Last Week: 9

A head-to-head loss to Colts Neck is holding the Caseys outside the top eight of these rankings and that might also turn out to be the difference between the No. 10 seed and the No. 8 seed for Red Bank Catholic. A home game vs. Holmdel on Tuesday is a chance for RBC to state its case for the No. 7 ranking at the Shore and to make a move in the SCT seeding.

10. Southern (13-4, 6-2) Last Week: 10

The Rams return to the No. 10 spot after taking down Donovan Catholic and Toms River North last week – a pair of wins that keeps the Rams mathematically alive for a piece of the Class A South championship. Even if Central clinches the title on Tuesday vs. Donovan Catholic, Southern will get its chance to make a statement on Friday, when Southern faces Central just before the SCT cutoff.

The Next 10

Freehold Boro (14-6, 7-0) – The Colonials have been scrapping for a signature win all season long and finally finished one off Saturday against Wildwood Catholic at the Battle of Barnegat.

Wall (14-3, 7-0) – The Crimson Knights have not yet kicked in the door to the top 10 yet, but they are currently eighth in the Shore Conference in power points with a chance to move up to seventh this week.

Middletown North (14-6, 7-1) – The Lions have won 6 straight and 11 of their last 13 to move within one win of clinching the Class B Coastal division title.

Freehold Township (8-8, 4-4) – The Patriots looked poised for a perfect week before falling to a five-win Allentown team on the road. Before that, they beat Manalapan and Marlboro to climb over .500.

Ranney (8-7, 4-4) – An injury to Brody Mauro led to a five-game losing streak that Ranney finally snapped by beating Manalapan on Friday.

Jackson Memorial (8-11, 4-4) – Since dynamic junior George Boley became eligible, Jackson Memorial is 6-4 with losses to Manasquan, St. Thomas Aquinas and two to St. Rose.

Donovan Catholic (9-9, 6-2) – The Griffins have their hands full this week, with a road test at red-hot Barnegat, a home date vs. No. 3 Central and a third meeting against Toms River North. A 2-1 week would be impressive, while a 3-0 week would warrant serious top 10 consideration.

Howell (9-9, 2-6) – The Rebels have been hovering around .500 while playing in a tough Class A Central division and their win at Wall is one of the better wins of any team in the 11-through-20 range of the Shore Conference.

Point Pleasant Beach (13-6, 6-2) – The Garnet Gulls got swept by Wall and are now unlikely to win the Class B Central division, but they closed the week with a pick-me-up in the form of an 18-point win over rival Point Pleasant Boro.

Barnegat (13-5, 5-1) – Winners of eight straight, Barnegat picked up big home wins over Point Boro and Neptune, paid back Pinelands for handing the Bengals their only division loss earlier in the month, then beat defending South Jersey Group III champion Mainland on Saturday.