Boys Basketball – 2020 SCT Watch: Predicting the Shore Conference Tournament Field

For any team hoping the graduation of Bryan Antoine and Scottie Lewis from Ranney would open up the Shore Conference to more potential Shore Conference Tournament contenders, their hopes have been dashed with every dominant performance turned in by Manasquan this season. The Warriors have steamrolled the Shore throughout December, January and February and left no doubt about who the No. 1 seed and heavy favorite in the SCT will be once the tournament is seeded early Sunday afternoon.

The top-five teams in the field appear clear-cut as well, with some wiggle room to move the order of seed Nos. 3 through 5. After that, the field becomes crowded with teams that have either resume flaws, roster questions, or both. What follows is an attempt to sort through the body of work of each of the teams still in the running for a spot in the SCT, which currently stands at 27 teams that have clinched spots and one more (Freehold Township) that can clinch with a win on Saturday.

The criteria for seeding always starts with the overall body of work, with head-to-head results, results against common opponents, quality of a team’s best win and division standing all playing a part when comparing teams. Even with those guidelines, there is bound to be subjectivity in the process so the range of outcomes from seed No. 6 on through the bottom of the field will be wide.

With that in mind, here goes nothing.

Note: Opponents preceded by “at” denote a true road game; preceded by “vs.” denote a neutral court game; preceded by nothing denote a home game.

Updated through Saturday's games

1. Manasquan (23-1, 14-0)

Division Wins: Holmdel (2), Monmouth (2), Raritan (2), Red Bank Catholic (2), Rumson-Fair Haven (2), St. Rose (2), Shore (2)
Division Losses: None
Non-Division Wins: Vs. Newark East Side, vs. Brick Memorial, vs. Toms River East, vs. Middletown South, at Toms River North, vs. West Side Newark, vs. St. Peter’s Prep, vs. Hillside, Wall
Non-Division Losses: Vs. Roselle Catholic
Why They’re Here: Just when it seemed like smooth sailing to a Shore Conference title for Manasquan, Alex Galvan came down with another injury, which the team is currently treating as a shin bruise. Even if Galvan's availability in the tournament is limited, Manasquan has shown it can beat quality competition without him this year, so their seed will remain unchanged - especially with head-to-head wins over Middletown South, Toms River North, Holmdel, Red Bank Catholic and Wall.

2. Middletown South (22-1, 14-0)

Division Wins: CBA (2), Freehold Boro (2), Freehold Twp. (2), Howell (2), Long Branch (2), Manalapan (2), Marlboro (2)
Division Losses: None
Non-Division Wins: Vs. Lacey, vs. Red Bank Catholic, vs. Marlboro, Matawan, vs. Ranney, Rumson-Fair Haven, at Mater Dei, at Middletown North
Non-Division Losses: Vs. Manasquan
Why They’re Here: There is not a head-to-head between Middletown South and the next team in line but the Eagles have also done more than enough to lock up the No. 2 seed. They clinched their first division title in 41 years by finishing the Class A North season unbeaten, their lone loss is to No. 1 Manasquan and they have a collection of noteworthy wins both inside and outside of A North.

3. Toms River North (21-3, 14-0)

Division Wins: Brick (2), Brick Memorial (2), Central (2), Jackson Memorial (2), Southern (2), Toms River East (2), Toms River South (2), at Jackson Memorial
Division Losses: None
Non-Division Wins: Point Boro, Donovan Catholic, Marlboro, Mainland, vs. Wall, Donovan Catholic, at New Brunswick
Non-Division Losses: Manasquan, vs. Rutgers Prep, Lincoln
Why They’re Here: Even if Toms River North avoided a slip-up against Lincoln, the Mariners were going to have a hard time beating out Middletown South for the No. 2 seed. Beating a strong New Brunswick squad on the road Saturday improves that case and even if it doesn't quite help Toms River North overtake Middletown North, it should be more than enough to hold off Holmdel for the No. 3 spot. With the quarterfinals and semifinals at RWJ Barnabas Health Arena, the only way to beat Toms River North away from its gym in this tournament will be to get the Mariners in the championship game.

4. Holmdel (18-3, 12-2)

Division Wins: Monmouth (2), Raritan (2), Red Bank Catholic (2), Rumson-Fair Haven (2), St. Rose (2), Shore (2)
Division Losses: Manasquan (2)
Non-Division Wins: Vs. Old Bridge, vs. Edison, vs. Franklin, at Freehold Twp., at Matawan, at Manalapan
Non-Division Losses: Vs. Carteret
Why They’re Here: Holmdel's case for the No. 4 spot is a perfect record in A Central outside of two Manasquan losses, plus three quality non-division road wins against Freehold Township, Matawan and Manalapan. On top of that, the second of those two Manasquan losses was by a mere six points in Manasquan’s toughest Shore Conference game of the season. The door is not completely shut on a No. 3 seed for Holmdel, but Toms River North's status as an unbeaten division champion and convincing wins over Marlboro, Wall and New Brunswick give the Mariners a significant edge.

5. Marlboro (17-5, 11-3)

Division Wins: Freehold Boro (2), Freehold Twp. (2), Howell (2), Long Branch (2), Manalapan (2), at CBA
Division Losses: Middletown South (2), CBA
Non-Division Wins: Vs. Manchester, vs. Wall, vs. Old Bridge, Neptune, Rumson-Fair Haven, Mater Dei Prep
Non-Division Losses: At Toms River North, vs. Middletown South
Why They’re Here: Holmdel's 19-point win at Manalapan - which Marlboro beat by single-digits twice - will likely solidify the Hornets in the No. 4 spot and Marlboro at No. 5. The 4-5 order is significant in that the No. 5 seed will have to play in the first round while the No. 4 seed gets a bye, plus whatever match-up ramifications result from the two different spots. Other than that, though, there still isn't a significant difference between the two spots in the bracket.

6. Red Bank Catholic (14-8, 7-7)

Division Wins: Raritan (2), Shore (2), at Monmouth, at Rumson-Fair Haven, St. Rose
Division Losses: Holmdel (2), Manasquan (2), at Monmouth, Rumson-Fair Haven, at St. Rose
Non-Division Wins: vs. Jackson Memorial, vs. Toms River East, vs. Red Bank, vs. Wall, vs. Toms River East, Henry Hudson, CBA
Non-Division Losses: Vs. Middletown South
Why They’re Here: A loss to Monmouth Regional on Feb. 7 following an injury to senior standout Charlie Gordinier seemed to spell doom for RBC heading into this week. Instead, the Caseys played two tough games against Manasquan and Holmdel, then handled CBA at home on Saturday to put themselves in position to climb to No. 6. Although RBC does have a pair of results unbecoming of a No. 6 seed (losses to Monmouth and St. Rose), it also has head-to-head wins over Wall and CBA - both by double-digit margins. That is enough for a bump up to No. 6, even if Gordinier's status for next week remains up in the air.

7. Wall (18-5, 14-0)

Division Wins: Colts Neck (2), Matawan (2), Middletown North (2), Neptune (2), Ocean (2), Red Bank (2), St. John Vianney (2)
Division Losses: None
Non-Division Wins: Vs. Toms River South, vs. Donovan Catholic, Jackson Memorial, vs. Howell
Non-Division Losses: Vs. Marlboro, vs. Irvington, vs. Red Bank Catholic, vs. Toms River North, at Manasquan
Why They’re Here: Without a better showing against Manasquan, Wall was going to have a tough time staying at No. 6 because of a loss to RBC. That meant that either the Caseys would jump CBA and Wall for having beaten both or CBA would jump Wall for beating an RBC team that beat Wall by 15 points. As it turns out, RBC made the move and Wall is likely looking at the No. 7 spot after a perfect showing in B North, but a 4-5 record outside the division.

8. Christian Brothers Academy (13-10, 9-5)

Division Wins: Freehold Boro (2), Howell (2), Long Branch (2), Freehold Twp., at Manalapan, at Marlboro
Division Losses: Middletown South (2), at Freehold Twp., Manalapan, Marlboro
Non-Division Wins: William Floyd (N.Y.), vs. St. Joseph Metuchen, vs. Mater Dei, vs. Piscataway
Non-Division Losses: Vs. Hudson Catholic, vs. Calvert Hall (Md.), vs. Fairmont Heights (Md.), vs. Wildwood Catholic, at Red Bank Catholic
Why They’re Here: CBA entered Saturday's game at RBC red-hot but was cooled off by a suddenly-revitalized Caseys squad. The Colts have played well since starting the season 4-8, winning nine of 11 since with losses to Middletown South and RBC. CBA still has a case to be made to slot in at No. 7 over Wall, but it will be hard to top a division champion.

9. Manalapan (12-8, 8-6)

Division Wins: Freehold Boro (2), Freehold Twp. (2), Long Branch (2), at CBA, Howell
Division Losses: Marlboro (2), Middletown South (2), CBA, at Howell
Non-Division Wins: Vs. Old Bridge, at Matawan, Colts Neck, Southern
Non-Division Losses: Vs. Carteret, Holmdel
Why They’re Here: Manalapan had a chance to climb by beating Holmdel on Saturday but the Braves instead got beat by 19 points. With RBC losing to Holmdel by three points two nights earlier, it's not hard to justify a jump by the Caseys over the Braves, especially with them beating CBA. That leaves Manalapan at No. 9, where the Braves should stay based on a significantly better collection of wins than Ranney has. Maybe Manalapan would prefer the No. 10 seed but that is a different story altogether.

10. Ranney (14-7, 12-0)

Division Wins: Asbury Park (2), Henry Hudson (2), Keansburg (2), Keyport (2), Mater Dei (2), Point Beach (2)
Division Losses: None
Non-Division Wins: Vs. Middletown North, Bloomfield
Non-Division Losses: At Lawrence Woodmere (N.Y.), vs. Burlington Twp., at Red Bank, vs. Middletown South, Wings Academy (N.Y.), vs. Hudson Catholic, vs. Roselle Catholic
Why They’re Here: Ranney has a very interesting case for a top-eight spot after beating Mater Dei and clinching another division title on Thursday. The Panthers still don’t have a win better than the two over Mater Dei but they had a good showing vs. Roselle Catholic on Jan. 29 in a 66-59 loss. Ranney also has 6-foot-9 junior Kyle Rhoden now in the fold and will now have one of the Shore’s best shot-blockers and rebounders on the floor to go with a skilled group of guards and sophomore bigs Ryan Zan and Charles Anyichie. A good question when comparing Ranney to teams like Manalapan and Rumson: are two double-digit wins over Mater Dei worth more than a season split with higher-ranked CBA and RBC?

11. Lakewood (17-4, 12-2)

Division Wins: Donovan Catholic (2), Jackson Liberty (2), Lacey (2), Manchester (2), Pinelands (2), Barnegat, at Point Boro
Division Losses: At Barnegat, Point Boro
Non-Division Wins: At Freehold Boro, at Asbury Park, at Brick, Neptune, at Piscataway
Non-Division Losses: Vs. Palumbo (Pa.), vs. Lenape
Why They’re Here: Unlike Manalapan, RBC and Ranney, Lakewood has not lost to a Shore Conference team that will not be in the SCT. Lakewood lost its first two division games and was 1-3 to open the season before the light went on the Piners returned to their form of old. With two freshmen – Samir Padilla and Respect Tyleek – in the starting lineup, there has been some growing to do but the roster seems to have fallen into place around senior standout Ryan Savoy. Mater Dei's loss to Ranney and a win over Neptune - which beat Rumson-Fair Haven - gives Lakewood the inside track to come in at no worse than No. 11.

12. Rumson-Fair Haven (13-9, 9-5)

Division Wins: Monmouth (2), Raritan (2), St. Rose (2), Shore (2), at Red Bank Catholic
Division Losses: Holmdel (2), Manasquan (2), Red Bank Catholic
Non-Division Wins: Princeton, People’s Prep, at Middletown North, at Long Branch
Non-Division Losses: Vs. Neptune, at Marlboro, at Middletown South, vs. St. Thomas Aquinas
Why They’re Here: Six of Rumson’s nine losses have come at the hands of teams seeded in the top-five of the field. Another was to a loaded St. Thomas Aquinas squad, another to No. 8 Red Bank Catholic when the Caseys were whole and another to Neptune on a controversial call at the buzzer. As for the wins, Rumson is a little light on high-profile victories, but the Bulldogs did manage a split with RBC and have played Manasquan and Holmdel tough. With Mater Dei falling to Ranney by double-figures once again, the Bulldogs make a move up to No. 12, but stop there because of a loss to a common opponent (Neptune) that Lakewood beat.

13. Mater Dei Prep (13-9, 10-2)

Division Wins: Asbury Park (2), Henry Hudson (2), Keansburg (2), Keyport (2), Point Beach (2)
Division Losses: Ranney (2)
Non-Division Wins: Vs. Atlantic City, vs. Middle Twp., Olympus Prep
Non-Division Losses: Vs. St. Thomas Aquinas, vs. Don Bosco, vs. Hunterdon Central, vs. CBA, vs. St. Peter’s (Staten Island), at Marlboro, Middletown South
Why They’re Here: Like Rumson, Mater Dei has some tough losses but none that could be considered bad losses. Although the Seraphs have mostly feasted on a down Class B Central for their wins, they also have a win over Atlantic City – which is positioned for the No. 3 seed in South Jersey Group IV. With 10 of their wins coming against non-Ranney B Central, it will be hard for Mater Dei to make its case to go ahead of a division champion in Lakewood and a Rumson team coming out of a rugged Class A Central.

14. Matawan (11-11, 10-4)

Division Wins: Colts Neck (2), Middletown North (2), Red Bank (2), St. John Vianney (2), Neptune, Ocean
Division Losses: Wall (2), at Neptune, at Ocean
Non-Division Wins: Edison
Non-Division Losses: At North Brunswick, Union, Manalapan, at Middletown South, vs. Marist, vs. Plainfield, Holmdel
Why They’re Here: Matawan has run hot and cold, sometimes even within single games and that makes the Huskies hard to pin down when it comes to seeding. They sit in second place in a solid division but are 1-7 outside of B North. They lost to Wall with two key players out the first time around and played them competitively on the road with a full squad. A close loss at Wall does Matawan little good, however, and the Huskies should slide in just ahead of the rest of their division.

15. Neptune (12-10, 8-6)

Division Wins: Colts Neck (2), Red Bank (2), Matawan, at Middletown North, Ocean, at St. John Vianney
Division Losses: Wall (2), at Matawan, Middletown North, at Ocean, St. John Vianney
Non-Division Wins: Allentown, Union City, vs. Rumson-Fair Haven, at Long Branch
Non-Division Losses: At Elizabeth, Lincoln, at Marlboro, at Lakewood
Why They’re Here:  Wins over Rumson, Matawan, St. John Vianney and Ocean represent noteworthy wins over teams in the field and Allentown and Union City are two more quality opponents Neptune took down in its non-divisional slate. The Scarlet Fliers do have a loss to Middletown North that could serve as an anchor but there is enough good that Neptune should have a sturdy case for a home game.

16. Freehold Township (11-11, 6-8)

Division Wins: Howell (2), Long Branch (2), CBA, Freehold Boro
Division Losses: Manalapan (2), Marlboro (2), Middletown South (2), at CBA, at Freehold Boro
Non-Division Wins: Vs. Point Boro, vs. Manchester, vs. Woodbridge, at Middletown North, Colts Neck
Non-Division Losses: Vs. Donovan Catholic, at Allentown, Holmdel
Why They’re Here: The Patriots have had some slip-ups along the way, one of which was a December game vs. Donovan Catholic without junior Jayce Schapiro and the other a rivalry game on the road vs. Freehold Boro. On the plus side, they have a win over CBA that should give them a leg up on a lot of the other teams in this area of the bracket in pursuit of a home game.

17. St. John Vianney (15-7, 8-6)

Division Wins: Middletown North (2), Ocean (2), Red Bank (2), Colts Neck, at Neptune
Division Losses: Matawan (2), Wall (2), at Colts Neck, Neptune
Non-Division Wins: Sinai Christian, vs. Notre Dame, at St. Rose, at Monmouth, Sayreville, at Jackson Liberty, Old Bridge
Non-Division Losses: At Franklin
Why They’re Here: Up until last week, St. John Vianney had the profile of a team that won the games it was supposed to win, plus a few toss-up games for good measure. A loss to Colts Neck sullied that reputation and it may be enough to deny the Lancers a first-round home game. Beating Ocean for a second time gives SJV a chance at a home game, which the Lancers can get by making the case they should go ahead of Freehold Township based on overall record. Losing to Colts Neck - which Freehold Township beat by 26 points on Saturday - last week likely prevents that from happening.

18. St. Rose (12-9, 6-8)

Division Wins: Monmouth (2), Shore (2), at Raritan, Red Bank Catholic
Division Losses: Holmdel (2), Manasquan (2), Rumson-Fair Haven (2), Raritan, at Red Bank Catholic
Non-Division Wins: Point Beach, Moore Catholic (N.Y.), at Brick, at Great Oaks Charter, Academy Charter
Non-Division Losses: St. John Vianney
Why They’re Here: St. Rose had a favorable schedule this week and took full advantage of it with a big win at Raritan, a tournament-berth-clinching win over Academy Charter, and a 10-point win over Monmouth. Although the wins outside of the division don't jump off the page, A Central is a tough enough division to prepare a team for this tournament and the Purple Roses do have a convincing win over Red Bank Catholic to boast.

19. Ocean (11-9, 6-8)

Division Wins: Colts Neck (2), Middletown North (2), Matawan, Neptune
Division Losses: Red Bank (2), St. John Vianney (2), Wall (2), at Matawan, at Neptune
Non-Division Wins: At Lawrence, Monmouth, at Pinelands, Brick Memorial, Shore
Non-Division Losses: Vs. Pennington
Why They’re Here: Ocean has a sub-.500 divisional record and one of the weaker collection of non-divisional wins in the field, but has been playing better since getting Jack Miller back from an ankle injury. The Spartans have beaten both Neptune and Matawan in the second turn through the division and played Wall close last week. A home game is probably a reach but the Spartans have probably done enough to crack the top 20.

20. Southern (15-7, 11-3)

Division Wins: Brick (2), Brick Memorial (2), Central (2), Jackson Memorial (2), Toms River South (2), Toms River East
Division Losses: Toms River North (2), at Toms River East
Non-Division Wins: Vs. Washington Twp., Colts Neck, Middle Twp., at Lacey
Non-Division Losses: Lenape, vs. St. Joseph Hammonton, vs. Lower Cape May, at Manalapan
Why They’re Here: Southern challenged itself more outside of divisional play than Ocean, Raritan and St. Rose but A South has been significantly weaker than A Central and B North this season and that non-conference slate has to carry the resume. To Southern’s credit, the Rams are a solid defensive team with a few different ways to beat teams offensively when they are on. Friday's home win over Lacey could buy the Rams some space between themselves and the B South crowd beyond Lakewood.

21. Donovan Catholic (11-9, 9-5)

Division Wins: Jackson Liberty (2), Manchester (2), Pinelands (2), Barnegat, Lacey, Point Boro
Division Losses: Lakewood (2), at Barnegat, at Lacey, at Point Boro
Non-Division Wins: Vs. Freehold Twp., Central
Non-Division Losses: At Toms River North, vs. Wall, vs. Eastern, at Toms River North
Why They’re Here: With a win over Point Boro, Donovan Catholic is freed up to make a jump up the ranks. The Griffins' best win of the season came in December against Freehold Township, when both sides were playing short-handed. Since then, the Griffins have close games in B South, including a 40-39 escape-act at Jackson Liberty on Tuesday prior to the overtime win over the Panthers. It also helps that Donovan Catholic is finally close to full strength, which the Griffins have not been for the vast majority of the season.

22. Toms River East (12-8, 10-4)

Division Wins: Brick (2), Brick Memorial (2), Central (2), Toms River South (2), at Jackson Memorial, Southern
Division Losses: Toms River North (2), Jackson Memorial, at Southern
Non-Division Wins: Vs. Central, Freehold Boro
Non-Division Losses: Vs. Manasquan, vs. Red Bank Catholic, vs. New Brunswick, vs. Red Bank Catholic
Why They’re Here: Toms River East might have more potential in the tournament than Southern does because of the scoring prowess of the Goodall cousins, Mike and Ryan, but the Raiders will finish behind Southern in the A South standings. They have played good competition outside of A South, but were not able to stay all that close to Manasquan or RBC. Toms River East did, however, play New Brunswick tough, which could fall into the category of “quality loss,” if there is such a thing.

23. Point Pleasant Boro (13-7, 10-4)

Division Wins: Barnegat (2), Jackson Liberty (2), Pinelands (2), Donovan Catholic, Lacey, Lakewood, Manchester
Division Losses: At Donovan Catholic, at Lacey, Lakewood, at Manchester
Non-Division Wins: Vs. Toms River South, Toms River South, at Point Beach
Non-Division Losses: At Toms River North, vs. Freehold Twp., at Brick Memorial
Why They’re Here: Two weeks ago, Point Boro looked set up to challenge for a top-10 seed and a safe bet to land a first-round home game. The wheels looked like they were coming off as the Panthers went 1-4 after winning 10 in a row, with losses to non-tournament entities Lacey and Brick Memorial. Point Boro came up big on Tuesday, however, with an overtime win over a solid Barnegat squad that also badly needed the win for seeding. Although the regular season ended with a loss at Donovan Catholic, the Panthers rallied from a double-digit deficit to go to overtime, so there are signs of life heading into the postseason. A week non-divisional schedule will be a problem for Point Boro in the seeding.

24. Barnegat (16-5, 9-5)

Division Wins: Jackson Liberty (2), Lacey (2), Pinelands (2), Donovan Catholic, Lakewood, Manchester
Division Losses: Point Boro (2), at Donovan Catholic, at Manchester, at Lakewood, Point Boro
Non-Division Wins: Vs. Academy Charter, vs. Princeton, at Jackson Memorial, Red Bank, Steinert, at Monmouth, at Toms River South, Salem Tech
Non-Division Losses: None
Why They’re Here: Barnegat needed to beat Point Boro and finish second in B South to make a stronger case to climb into the teens. With Donovan Catholic beating Point Boro, now Barnegat is the only B South team other than Pinelands and Jackson Liberty to fail to beat the Panthers. They still have a win over Lakewood to boast but Donovan's superior non-division slate gives them more of an argument to climb the list.

25. Raritan (10-9, 5-9)

Division Wins: Monmouth (2), Shore (2), at St. Rose
Division Losses: Holmdel (2), Manasquan (2), Red Bank Catholic (2), Rumson-Fair Haven (2), St. Rose
Non-Division Wins: At New Egypt, vs. Bernards, Keyport, Henry Hudson, Marion P. Thomas
Non-Division Losses: Vs. Steinert
Why They’re Here: Everything written about Ocean applies to Raritan, only the Rockets are probably even weaker in the non-divisional schedule and don’t have a win as good as the ones Ocean has over Matawan and Neptune. The good news is Raritan is in the field and with so much parity in the Nos. 8-to-26 range, there is good chance the Rockets will land a draw they can handle.

26. Manchester (11-8, 8-6)

Division Wins: Jackson Liberty (2), Lacey (2), Pinelands (2), Barnegat, Point Boro
Division Losses: Donovan Catholic (2), Lakewood (2), at Barnegat, at Lakewood, at Point Boro
Non-Division Wins: Toms River South, at Toms River South, Point Beach
Non-Division Losses: Vs. Marlboro, vs. Freehold Twp.
Why They’re Here: With a roster that still boasts a lot of youth around senior Josh Hayes, Manchester seems like a team that will play to the level of its competition – something that any team hosting the Hawks in the first round should be wary of. They played Marlboro and Lakewood close, gave Freehold Township a tough half, and have beaten Barnegat and Point Boro at home. They also failed to beat Donovan Catholic and had to scratch and claw to get by Point Beach, Jackson Liberty and Toms River South. It's hard to get Manchester out of the mid-20's based on the resume, but the Hawks could be a dangerous match-up for a team like CBA, Manalapan, Red Bank Catholic, Lakewood or Ranney.

27. Point Pleasant Beach (11-10, 8-4)

Division Wins: Asbury Park (2), Henry Hudson (2), Keansburg (2), Keyport (2)
Division Losses: Mater Dei (2), Ranney (2)
Non-Division Wins: vs. Great Oaks Charter, Roselle Park, at Bard
Non-Division Losses: At St. Rose, vs. Spotswood, Robbinsville, Point Boro, at Manchester, at Jackson Liberty
Why They’re Here: Keyport is the lone tournament team Point Beach has beaten and has a loss to Manchester at the buzzer, so the Garnet Gulls will be either the No. 26 or 27 seed depending on whether or not Freehold Township qualifies. A year removed from an injury-riddled, one-win season, qualifying for the SCT is a great bounceback showing for a proud Point Beach program.

28. Keyport (11-7, 6-6)

Division Wins: Asbury Park (2), Henry Hudson (2), Keansburg (2)
Division Losses: Mater Dei (2), Point Beach (2), Ranney (2)
Non-Division Wins: Vs. Piscataway Tech, at Roselle Park, at Perth Amboy Tech, East Brunswick Tech, at Somerset Tech
Non-Division Losses: At Raritan
Why They’re Here: Keyport’s six division wins are over teams that won’t be in the tournament and four of the Red Raiders’ five out-of-division wins are over four different Central Jersey Tech schools. That will limit their argument to get out of the last spot but if you are looking for a case, Keyport did play Ranney fairly well in each of its two B Central meetings, scoring 70-plus points in each loss.

Projected Pairings

(28) Keyport at (5) Marlboro

(27) Point Beach at (6) Red Bank Catholic

(26) Manchester at (7) Wall

(25) Raritan at (8) CBA

(24) Barnegat at (9) Manalapan

(23) Point Boro at (10) Ranney

(22) Toms River East at (11) Lakewood

(21) Donovan Catholic at (12) Rumson-Fair Haven

(20) Southern at (13) Mater Dei Prep, winner at (4) Holmdel

(19) Ocean at (14) Matawan, winner at (3) Toms River North

(18) St. Rose at (15) Neptune, winner at (2) Middletown South

(17) St. John Vianney at (16) Freehold Twp., winner at (1) Manasquan