SSI Girls Basketball Week 10 RYPT Top 10

Shore Sports Insider Girls Basketball Week 10 Top 10 Rankings

Doug Brustman contributed to this post

 

1. Red Bank Catholic (24-4) Last Week: 2 – The Caseys returned to the top of the mountain on Friday when they defeated St. Rose in the Shore Conference Tournament final, 50-48. Seniors Tessa Carman and Christina Liggio starred alongside junior Addy Nyemchek to help RBC win its first title since 2013. The win in the SCT final pushes their win streak to 18 games. In the semifinal round, the Caseys handed Manasquan its first Shore Conference defeat of the season. RBC will now turn its focus to defending its Non-Public A title. RBC will be the No. 3 seed in South Jersey Non-Public A and will host Princeton Day in the first round on Feb. 28. There could be a possible SCT final rematch in the sectional semifinal, with St. Rose being the No. 2 seed in the section.

2. St. Rose (21-5) Last Week: 4 – St. Rose was three minutes away from a Shore Conference title, but fell short on a basket by RBC with eight seconds left. The Purple Roses had a great run in the SCT with a win over Howell and one over St. John Vianney that avenged an early-season loss. St. Rose will now focus on South Jersey Non-Public A, where they are the No. 2 seed and have a first-round bye. Odds are St. Rose and RBC will clash for a third time this season in the Sout Non-Public A semifinal round. 

3. Manasquan (20-4) Last Week: 1 – Manasquan was handed their first loss of the season from a Shore Conference team in the SCT semifinal round against RBC. Manasquan had big wins this season with two against Trinity Hall, St. Rose and Howell and one against Ranney — all ranked teams. After graduating three starters, the Warriors reloaded and are favorites to repeat as Group 2 champions. As the No. 1 seed in Central Jersey Group 2, they earned a first round bye. 

4. St. John Vianney (20-6) Last Week: 3 – SJV’s five-year run as Shore Conference champion ended in the semifinal game against St. Rose on Tuesday. This also marks the first year SJV did not make the SCT final since 2015, when the Lancers lost to Manasquan in the semifinal round. The Lancers will look to get healthy and make a run in the South Jersey Non-Public A section, where they are the No. 4 seed. They open up with a home game on Feb. 28 against Mount St. Mary. 

5. Ranney (15-7) Last Week: 7 – Ranney’s SCT run ended against SJV in the quarterfinal round. Ranney was able to get as close as five points early in the third quarter, but fell 52-31. After starting off the season 0-5, Ranney won 15 out of its next 16 games and won the Class A North title. Ranney is the No. 4 seed in South Jersey Non-Public B and earned a first-round bye. The Panthers will host the winner of Holy Spirit and St. Joseph of Hammonton on March 3. 

6. Howell (19-6) Last Week: 6 – Howell’s run in the SCT ended in the quarterfinal round to St. Rose, 55-31. The Rebels went 2-1 last week in tune-up games for the sectional playoffs. Last year Howell won Central Jersey Group 4, but this year the Rebels were moved to South Jersey Group 4, where they are the No. 3 seed. If they advance into the SJ4 final, they can play Lenape, who beat them last year in the Group 4 semifinal. Howell hosts Vineland on Feb. 27 in the opening round of SJ4. 

7. Trinity Hall (19-7) Last week: 8 – After winning its second-round game against Rumson, Trinity Hall fell to top-seeded Manasquan in the quarterfinal round, 53-37. The Monarchs got off to a fast start, leading at halftime, but fell in the second half. Trinity Hall won a tune-up game against Red Bank Regional before they start the state playoffs in South Jersey Non-Public A. Trinity Hall is the No. 7 seed and will host Immaculata on Feb. 28. A win by the Monarchs would set up a rematch with No. 2 seed St. Rose in the quarterfinal round. 

8. Rumson-Fair Haven (13-11) Last week: 9 – Rumson fell in the second round of the SCT to No. 8 seed Trinity Hall, 46-37. The Bulldogs picked-up wins against Howell and Brick Township as they prepare for Central Jersey Group 2. Rumson will be the No. 2 seed and host Raritan on Feb. 27 in the opening round. Rumson is well tested this season to make a deep run in CJ2, which can set-up a match-up against sectional rival Manasquan for the title. 

9. Red Bank Regional (14-9) Last Week: 5  – RBR has dropped its last three games as the Bucs prepare for Central Jersey Group 3. The Bucs have been without leading scorer Synai Blychanton since Feb. 1 because of an injury she suffered against Egg Harbor. Red Bank, which is the No. 2 seed, would be the favorites in CJ3 if Blychanton can return healthy. RBR will host Brick Memorial in the opening round on Feb. 26.

10. Point Boro (22-3) Last Week: 10 – Point Boro has won 15 out of 16 games with its last defeat coming to Ranney in the second round of the SCT. The Panthers won three games last week as they prepare for Central Jersey Group 2, where they will be the No. 4 seed. They defeated Holmdel, who will be the No. 9 seed in CJG2, Ewing and Colts Neck last week. Vanessa Has continues to have a great season, averaging 21 points per game last week. Point Boro will host No. 13 Governor Livingston on Feb. 27 in the opening round.

Bubble: Jackson Memorial, Colts Neck, Shore Regional