Top 10 Showdowns Headline Mens’ X Mental Showcase in Red Bank

The 2024-25 season started with the Christian Brothers Academy team putting a deep, dangerous roster on display in dominant wins over Freehold Boro and Holmdel.

For the following month, the Colts have had to make good use of their depth while dealing with injuries that have prevented them from hitting the same peak they showed in those first two games.

Now, as CBA (11-3) gears up for the last two weeks before the Shore Conference Tournament, the lineup is close to fully healthy and CBA is hoping to remind the Shore how dangerous it can be this weekend.

The second game of the Men’s X Mental Shore Showcase Saturday at Red Bank Regional High School features a Colts team finally close to full strength against a Red Bank (14-1) squad that has been clicking a full speed from the time the Bucs tipped off on Dec. 9.

Red Bank’s lone loss this season came at Georgian Court to Central Regional on Jan. 11and since that loss, the Bucs have won at both Rumson-Fair Haven and Red Bank Catholic and also beat Holmdel – all of which are ranked in the latest Shore Sports Insider Top 10. On Thursday night, senior Zayier Dean scored 19 of his season-high 31 points in the fourth quarter to help Red Bank close out an 80-74 win over RBC, with senior Ryan Fisher kicking in 20 points for the Bucs.

Red Bank has beaten a wide array of teams in a variety of ways and done so with a senior-driven team. Dean, Fisher, Anthony Moore, College Achieve transfer Ronald Richardson and Trey Moore form a senior core that has led the Bucs throughout the season and sophomore Justin Valentino has provided a spark as the lone non-senior in the starting five.

CBA will counter with a blend of seniors, juniors and a 6-foot-8 sophomore in David Buley who has emerged as a key contributor with CBA playing parts of the season down two starters. Senior Justin Fuerbacher and junior Charlie Marcoullier each missed time with sprained ankles, with Marcoullier missing five games before returning in last Saturday’s win over Red Bank Catholic. Fuerbacher is the team’s returning All-Shore forward at 6-foot-5 and is the lynchpin of CBA’s defense, as well as a top scoring threat.

Marcoullier’s return has added another shooter and ball-handler to pair with senior Kevin Pikiell in the Colts back court, which has gotten a lift from junior Gavin Marlin as both a starter and a scoring threat off the bench. Senior Charlie Messano has earned more and more playing time thanks to his two-way play and senior Nick Lane has been a contributor at guard as well.

Junior Connor Andree and Buley have both been a handful for opponents in CBA’s front court, which has allowed Fuerbacher to play on the wing more often when coach Geoff Billet goes with a bigger lineup.

Andree, Fuerbacher, Marcoullier and Pikiell were the returning starters heading into the season and have been complemented well thanks to the emergence of Buley, Messano and Marlin. Now that the entire group is healthy, CBA has a rotation that compares favorably to the other deep rotations among the Shore Conference contenders, with Red Bank among them.

CBA will also be looking to snap a two-year losing streak to Red Bank, with the Bucs beating the Colts in each of the last two seasons. George Sourlis took over the program ahead of 2022-23 and has found the formula to beat CBA in each of his first two years on the job.

A Red Bank win would further solidify the Bucs’ standing near the top of the Shore Conference rankings in power points, which will directly influence Shore Conference Tournament seeding. CBA, meanwhile, can gain a huge power-point boost by beating a 14-win Bucs team. Heading into the weekend, CBA is sixth in the conference in power points, while Red Bank is second.

St. Rose Continues Its NJ Gauntlet

A pair of recent state champions will close out Saturday’s showcase, with defending NJSIAA Non-Public B champion St. Rose taking on 2022-23 Non-Public A champion Union Catholic. St. Rose (10-4) is coming off back-to-back wins over Montgomery and Manasquan, which were ranked Nos. 9 and 11 in the state last week (St. Rose was No. 10).

The Purple Roses have leaned on their defense to earn key in-state wins over Montgomery, Manasquan and Gill St. Bernard’s and in their latest win over Manasquan on Wednesday, they tapped into their offense. St. Rose shot 6-for-14 from three-point range and got contributions throughout the lineup after leaning heavily on Jayden Hodge, Evan Romano and Avery Lynch during the early part of the season. Senior Bryan Ebeling provided an 11-point lift in the win over Montgomery, while junior Tyler Cameron and freshman Izayah Cooper stepped up in the win over Manasquan.

Speaking of freshmen, there were be some good ones on the floor Saturday in Red Bank. St. Rose has its duo of Cooper and Oymere Rene – a defensive stopper who can knock down a three – while Union Catholic (9-4) starts one of the state’s more impressive rookies in Malik Moore, who is averaging 12.1 points per game through 13 games.

Moore is part of a well-rounded Union Catholic lineup whose leading scorer is senior guard and former Rumson-Fair Haven standout Luke Schorr (12.6 points per game), who enjoyed a breakout sophomore season for the Bulldogs before transferring to Union Catholic ahead of the 2023-24 season. Senior A.J. Altobelli is another tough guard averaging better than 10 points per game for the Vikings.

What makes Union Catholic uniquely challenging for St. Rose and almost any other opponents is the front court. Seniors Yaw Ansong and F.K. Muntari are not big-time scorers, but with Ansong standing at 6-11 and Muntari at 6-8, Union Catholic defends the paint and works the glass.

With Lynch and Hodge the tallest St. Rose players at 6-5 each, the Purple Roses will have to win the battle on the perimeter to keep the two Union Catholic bigs from taking over the game, which was a problem for St. Rose in a loss to a much bigger, stronger Patrick School team on Jan. 4. St. Rose is another Shore Conference team looking to boost its power-point profile over the next two weeks, although the Purple Roses are well-positioned to repeat as Shore Conference Tournament champions regardless of their seed.

RBC and Ranney Ready to Let it Fly

Two of the best shooting teams – or at least two of the least shy teams when it comes to shooting – in the Shore Conference open up Saturday’s event. Red Bank Catholic (8-7) and Ranney (7-5) both pack an army of shooters onto their respective rosters and will try to outdo one another.

The two teams are also heading in different directions at the moment, with RBC pushing its way into the Top 10 of the Shore with a recent win over Rumson-Fair Haven and closes losses to CBA and Red Bank, while Ranney is coming off three straight losses to Holmdel, Colts Neck and Freehold Twp. Ranney’s recent struggles can be attributed to the loss of 6-4 sophomore Brody Mauro, who is out with an ankle injury. Mauro is a talented baseball player and the Panthers are taking it slow with his recovery, according to coach Tahj Holden.

RBC also has a baseball standout of its own in senior Ryan Prior – a three-point marksman who is also RBC’s best rebounder. Prior and classmate Sean Saxton have been the Caseys’ leaders throughout the season and they have taken advantage of a group of capable shooters around them. Sophomore Gavin Biasi, junior James Hankowski, junior Jake Frankel, junior Nolan Davis and sophomore Ryder Ciorciari have formed a supporting cast that has been difficult to defend, even for other top 10 teams like CBA, Rumson, Red Bank and Holmdel.

With Mauro out, Ranney has relied even more on seniors MeSean Williams and Justin Buck, as well as junior guard and top scorer Shaan Nayar. That trio and Mauro did the majority of the Ranney scoring through the first eight games and of late, sophomores Alex Heyser and Andrew Mardahaev have been the two players to pick up their scoring, with both using the three-point line as a weapon.

Combined, Ranney (124) and RBC (133) have combined for 257 three-pointers, which comes out to a combined 19.2 per game between the two teams. Both the Panthers and the Caseys are situated just outside the top 10 on the Shore Conference power-point list and both would like to make a run at a top-eight seed over the next two weeks, which would likely require a win on Saturday.

Men’s X Mental Shore Showcase Schedule

Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025

At Red Bank Regional High School

No. 9 Red Bank Catholic vs. Ranney, 12:30 p.m.

No. 4 Red Bank vs. No. 5 Christian Brothers Academy, 2 p.m.

No. 1 St. Rose (No. 7 in N.J.) vs. Union Catholic (No. 8 in N.J.), 3:30 p.m.