Boys Basketball – Players of the Week: All-Holiday Team Edition

Shore Sports Network Players of the Week: All-Holiday Team Edition

Here is a look at the top performers from across the Shore Conference based on performances turned in on the Holiday Tournament circuit, as well as team success in those tournaments or showcases.

Player of the Week

Bryan Antoine, Ranney

As if a 26-point outing on opening night against St. Rose wasn’t enough to open up eyes around the Shore Conference, Antoine threw his hat in the ring for Player of the Year as a freshman, albeit with a very long way to go. During the tradition-rich Albert E. Martin Buc Classic, Antoine put on a show over the three-game stretch, averaging 29.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists to lead the Panthers to three double-digit wins over the top three seeds in the tournament – No. 3 Middletown North, No. 2 Sayreville and No. 1 and defending champion Red Bank.

His best outing came in a semifinal win over Sayreville, when he scored 34 points to go with 10 rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks. He also scored 27 points to go with seven rebounds and six assists in the win over Middletown North and again put up 27 points with five assists and three steals in the championship game against Red Bank. In that last game, he scored on Ranney’s first four possessions of the fourth quarter and scored 16 second-half points to help the Panthers bring home the title.

First Team

Pat Andree, CBA

Perhaps the Shore needed an introduction to Antoine and Ranney, but Andree needs no introduction after the three years he has already had at CBA. This year, he is looking to carry CBA to its first Shore Conference Tournament title in six years and he’s off to a great start. In the Skyline Classic, hosted by St. Anthony in Jersey City, Andree poured in 28 points to go with four assists in a win over Iona Prep and then threw up 37 points and 10 boards in a win over Trenton Central, giving him an average of 32.5 points during the two-game showcase.

Ryan Jensen, Manasquan

Now a senior, Jensen continues to raise the bar for rebounding in the Shore Conference. After averaging 13 rebounds as a junior, he is already averaging better than 15 in six games this year and averaged 15.7 points, 15.7 rebounds and four blocks in four games at the WOBM Christmas Classic. In Manasquan’s win over Toms River North in the championship game, he hauled in 27 rebounds to go with 11 points. He also turned in an eight-block performance against Donovan Catholic in the semifinals, and with 15 points and 13 boards in that game, Jensen narrowly missed out on a triple-double.

Scottie Lewis, Ranney

Most basketball fans in N.J. know Lewis for his style, but he showed during the Buc Classic that he already brings plenty of substance to the table at a young age. Over the three Panthers wins at the Buc, the freshman phenom put up 19 points, nine rebounds, and five blocks per game, capped by a near triple-double (13 points, nine rebounds and eight blocks) against Red Bank in the final. After a pair of quiet scoring games to start his high school career, Lewis scored 20-plus points in each of Ranney’s first two tournament wins, posting 21 against Middletown North in the opener and 23 against Sayreville in the semifinals.

Jack Sheehan, Manasquan

Other players around the Shore had bigger scoring outputs, but Sheehan brought an all-around game and also delivered in the clutch to win help Manasquan win the WOBM title and earn himself tournament MVP. Sheehan averaged 14.7 points and 5.7 assists over the four WOBM wins for Manasquan and also scored 10 points in the pivotal fourth-quarter against Toms River North. Sheehan’s nine straight Warriors points helped erase a nine-point Mariners lead in the fourth and gave Manasquan its first ever WOBM Classic title. Sheehan also handed out seven assists in that game and scored 24 points in a semifinal win over Donovan Catholic.

Jack McGuire, CBA

While Ranney has a freshman duo leading the way, CBA sits atop the Shore rankings with a pair of seniors carrying the load. Andree and McGuire carried CBA over the two games at the Skyline, with McGuire putting up 22 points in each of CBA’s wins. In the 52-41 win over Iona Prep, McGuire and Andree combined to score all but two of CBA’s points. The Colts need McGuire to emerge as a consistent second option to Andree this season and through five games – especially in the two in Jersey City – he has more than delivered.

Second Team

Peyton Wejnert, Southern

Wejnert missed the first game of the tournament with a stomach bug, but returned for two big scoring performances to help lead Southern to a second-place finish at its Score at the Shore Tournament. He scored 26 points to go with seven boards in a win over Holy Spirit in the semifinals and posted 30 points and eight rebounds in a loss to Bergen Catholic in the final.

Grant Goode, St. John Vianney

The Lancers senior averaged 24.7 over his team’s three games at the Score at the Shore Tournament at Southern. In a come-from-behind win over Pemberton in the quarterfinals, Goode scored 30 of his career-high 36 points in the second half.

Brendan Barry, Rumson-Fair Haven

After missing Rumson’s first two games while recovering from surgery on his left hand, Barry returned for the Bulldawg Classic showcase opener against Fort Hamilton and poured in 21 points. He followed that up with 32 to go with five assists in a double-overtime loss to Colts Neck on Wednesday.

Phil Lingat, Toms River East

With resounding wins over Point Boro and Red Bank Catholic and a five-point loss to top-seeded Manasquan, one could make the case that Toms River East was the third-best team at the WOBM Tournament. Lingat was a steady force for the Raiders, averaging exactly 20 points over the fourth games and never scoring fewer than 16.

Anthony Larue, Henry Hudson

The Admirals won the Keansburg Holiday Tournament with double-digit wins over both South Amboy and South River, capped by a 50-point second half in the championship game against South River. Larue scored 20 of his career-high 31 points in that half and averaged 28.5 points and 10 rebounds in the two games.

Third Team

Nick Facendo, Freehold Twp.

Facendo stormed out of the gate at the WOBM Classic with 31 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and six steals in a win over Wall and went on to average 20.5 points over four games as his Patriots placed third in the tournament.

Lloyd Daniels, Colts Neck

After scoring 15 points and dishing out nine assists in a comfortable win over Fort Hamilton of N.Y., Daniels scored a game-high 17 points in a double-overtime win over Rumson-Fair Haven to cap the two-game stint at the Bulldawg Classic.

Matan Zucker, Manalapan

The Braves sophomore averaged 15 points in three Husky Holiday Classic games and capped the Holiday Week with a game-winning tip-in that lifted Manalapan to a 58-56 win over Tottenville of Staten Island in the third place game. Zucker – the son of former Manalapan and Rutgers standout Ed Zucker – also scored 20 points in that win.

Jaden Rhoden, Toms River North

Toms River North has three players – Rhoden, Mike Nyisztor and Pat Marinaccio – who are currently averaging more than 10 points per game and Rhoden was the most consistent of the three at the WOBM Classic. He averaged 14.2 points and nine rebounds in four games for the runner-up Mariners.

Joe Strand, Raritan

The Rockets are one of the four remaining unbeaten teams in the Shore Conference and Strand helped deliver a Warrior Classic title as part of that start. He scored 19 points and hit 7-of-8 overtime free throws in an overtime win over Steinert, then scored 12 in the final against Barnegat.