Boys Basketball – VOTE: Week 1 Orthopaedic Institute of Central Jersey Player of the Week

The first Shore Sports Network boys basketball Player of the Week vote of the 2018-19 season will be based on the final games of 2018 - specifically during holiday tournament week. Below are 10 Shore Conference players who excelled in various tournaments spanning three different states. Read about their performances and vote for the player most deserving of the Player of the Week award in the poll at the bottom of the post.

Vote every hour until the poll closes on Thursday at 10 p.m.

Bryan Antoine, Ranney

Ranney’s star guard turned in one of the great performances in the illustrious history of the John Wall Invitational by averaging 32.3 points during the Panthers’ three-game run to the tournament title. His 97 total points placed Antoine in the top 10 on the all-time list for a single tournament and he also averaged better than five rebounds and four steals. Antoine scored 36 points in the first game, 37 in the semifinal win and during his 24-point effort in the final, the Villanova-bound guard became the seventh player in Shore Conference history to reach the 2,000-point milestone.

Josh Cohen, CBA

Cohen and CBA did not play this past week, but the Colts travelled at the end of the prior week and captured the Kreul Classic title in Florida. Cohen was named tournament MVP after averaging 24.7 points and 12 rebounds in his team’s three-game run to the title. The 6-foot-11 senior scored 27 in the opening round, 24 in the semifinals and capped the tournament with 23 points and 10 rebounds in a 73-28 championship-game win over St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.)

Matt Ganter, Howell

Ganter started the Score at the Shore Tournament with a bang, dropping 23 points in the first half of the tournament’s opening game on the way to a career-high 39 points in a Rebels win over Mater Dei Prep. Ganter went on to average 32.5 points in four games at the tournament, with three games of 30 points or more and another with 29.

Charlie Gordinier, Red Bank Catholic

The WOBM Classic MVP averaged 16.75 points during Red Bank Catholic’s four-game excursion through the tournament, which led a balanced Caseys scoring effort. He led RBC with 19 points in a 72-66 win over Freehold Township in the quarterfinals and followed that up with 23 against Middletown South in the semifinals. The 6-6 junior capped the tournament with 11 points in his team’s thrilling, 53-51 championship win over Marlboro.

Jalen Jackson, Brick

Jackson’s teammate, Shane Williams, scored his 1,000th point at Monroe last week but it was Jackson who put up the eye-popping numbers during Brick’s two-game run in the four-team tournament. The senior point guard erupted for 47 points and seven assists in a 90-82 win over Princeton Day to open up the tournament and pumped in a team-high 18 in a 51-49 loss to the hosts in the championship game.

Dwaine Jones, Neptune

Jones started the season slowly for Neptune but broke out in a big way during the Neptune Holiday Jubilee. The senior guard averaged 19.7 points over three games, including a career-high 29 points in an overtime win over Union City in the tournament semifinals. Jones capped the tournament by posting 18 points and seven assists and also stepping up in the final two minutes with fellow backcourt-mate Sam Fagan injured to bring home a 60-51 win over Payne Tech.

Dylan Kaufman, Marlboro

Marlboro’s 6-6 big man delivered in his team’s two biggest games of the WOBM Classic, even if that effort wasn’t quite enough to get the Mustangs a championship. Kaufman scored 14 points and 11 rebounds and held Manasquan leading scorer Alex Galvan to eight points in a 56-46, semifinal win over the Warriors. He then put up 24 points and 14 boards, including 15 of Marlboro’s 21 in the second half, to nearly carry the Mustangs past Red Bank Catholic in a 53-51 loss in the final.

Ian O’Connor, Rumson-Fair Haven

In the two-game Bulldawg Class, O’Connor rung up 45 points and 23 rebounds to lead Rumson to a pair of wins. The senior forward put up 20 points and 13 boards in a 76-49 win over Fort Hamilton and delivered 25 points and 10 rebounds in a big 50-47 triumph over St. Peter’s Prep, including 17 points in the second half to bring home the win.

Chris Panduri, Shore

In leading Shore to a tournament win at Roselle Park, Panduri became one of three Shore Conference players to score 40 points in a game this season. The senior exploded for a career-high 42 points in the championship-game win over Piscataway Tech and did not even play in the fourth quarter with his team already in firm control on the way to an 85-53 win.

Quincy Wathington, Matawan

Matawan continued its high-wire act to start the season by winning the Huskies Holiday Classic with two more down-to-the-wire wins in the final two rounds. The Huskies needed a total team effort to get the job done, with all five starters scoring at leas eight points in the championship game. Wathington was named tournament MVP after leading the Huskies with 14 points per game in the tournament, including 10 in the championship game.

Honorable Mention: Andrew Schulz, Pinelands; Scottie Lewis, Ranney; Alex Ratner, Marlboro; Mike Goodall, Toms River East; Stephen Braunstein, CBA; Quinn Calabrese, Wall; Kyle McMahon, Brick Memorial; Daniel Sofield, Jackson Liberty; James Anderson, Middletown South; Alex Galvan, Manasquan; M.J. Wright, Red Bank Catholic; Carl Swensen, Lacey; Niles Haliburton, Matawan; Greg Billups, Freehold Twp.; John Beukers, Matawan; Matt Weidman, Red Bank; Dan Forsman, Monmouth; Jack Miller, Ocean; Vinnie Deck, Southern; Peter Gorman, Mater Dei