Boys Basketball – Players of the Week, Feb. 8 to Feb. 14

Shore Sports Network Player of the Week

Brendan Barry, Rumson-Fair Haven

Barry was already a divisional player of the week once already this season and his status as the latest Player of the Week is pretty much undeniable. In a 22-point win over Middletown North on Saturday, Barry scored a whopping 50 points, which was the first 50-point game at the Shore in 14 years. Barry shot 19-for-30 from the floor, 8-for-9 from the free-throw line and hit four three-pointers – all before exiting the game for good with five minutes remaining.

Barry also scored 21 of his team’s 42 points in a win over Raritan and dropped 13 in a limited appearance during a rout of Monmouth on senior night.

Divisional Players of the Week

Class A North

Rob Higgins, Middletown North

The Lions went 3-1 last week and Higgins was the driving force in all three victories. He scored 22 points to go with eight rebounds and six assists in a big win over Marlboro, then pumped in 20 in a win over Middletown South and 19 in a win over Red Bank. Higgins left the Rumson loss with an injury, limiting him to two points, but he is expected to play in the Shore Conference Tournament this week.

Class A South

Peyton Wejnert, Southern

With a Player of the Week Award already in his back pocket, Wejnert was an undeniable choice among A South players this week, despite great performances by Toms River North’s Mike Nyisztor and Brick’s Kenny Buell. Wejnert erupted for his second 40-point game of the season when he scored 43 in a win over Jackson Memorial and also scored 31 in a win over Newark Arts and 27 in a win over Toms River South.

Class B North

Mergim Gjyriqi, Matawan

Two-time winners are a theme of the final regular-season Player of the Week feature and here is another Gjyriqi scored a career-high 33 points in a four-point loss to Red Bank Catholic and put up 23 in a must-win game over Jackson Liberty on Saturday.

Class B Central

Tom DeFillippo, Henry Hudson

Henry Hudson qualified for the Shore Conference Tournament for the first time in 10 years by winning on Saturday and, just as he has for most of the year, DeFillippo led the way. He scored 18 points against Barack Obama Academy on Saturday, and also scored 26 points in a win over Calvary Christian on Monday and also had 14-point and 13-point games in losses to Ranney and Point Beach, respectively.

Class B South

Dan Sofield, Jackson Liberty

The Ranney quartet and Middletown North’s Rob Higgins have gained notoriety as freshmen, but Sofield has made a major impact as a freshman. He scored 20 or more points in all of the Lions’ games this past week, including 27 in a six-point loss to Red Bank Catholic on Friday night.