Boys Basketball: Shore Conference Top 10
With the NJSIAA Tournament now into the sectional quarterfinals, we are getting down to the wire in Shore Conference basketball.
What was written in erasable ink during the season in the All Shore Media Top 10 is starting to harden more into stone with each round. There is still room for teams to surprise and make a late move up the rankings, so we’ll see if the teams currently in the top five remain there when it’s all said and done.
Lakewood and Point Beach have been the clear top two teams all season, and both are favorites to take home sectional titles in Central Jersey Group II and Central Jersey Group I, respectively. Here’s a look at how things stand as we enter the home stretch of the season.
- Lakewood (23-2)
The Piners are coming off their first Shore Conference Tournament title since 1991 and have not lost to a Shore Conference team with their full lineup all season. Senior guard Tyrice Beverette is a prominent Player of the Year candidate for a team eager to add state tournament glory to its SCT and Class B South titles. The top-seeded Piners rolled into the CJ Group II quarterfinals and face Point Boro for the third time this season on Thursday. They are a favorite to advance to their second straight sectional final after losing to Neptune in last season’s Central Jersey Group III championship game.
2. Point Beach (23-3)
After falling 39-33 to Lakewood in their first SCT final appearance since 1963, the Garnet Gulls are on a mission to not only win the program’s first sectional title but also make it all the way to Rutgers and win the overall Group I title. They are the top seed in CJ I and rolled past Metuchen in the first round. They will host Keansburg, which they beat twice on their way to winning the Class B Central title in the regular season, in the quarterfinals on Thursday. A win there would most likely set up a semifinal showdown at home against Shore Regional on Saturday.
3. Manasquan (21-3)
The Warriors and newly-minted Kerwin Award winner Jimmy Walsh, along with Brown University-bound senior guard J.R. Hobbie, are out to add another championship to their Class A Central crown by winning CJ Group II. The Warriors came up just short in the semifinals against Point Beach to dash their SCT title hopes, so now the focus is on reaching a potential match-up with Lakewood in the CJ II final. They cruised past Matawan in the first round and have a tough quarterfinal matchup on Wednesday night against Long Branch, a team they beat on a jumper by Tommy Toole in the final seconds in the SCT Round of 16.
4. Toms River North (24-3)
The Mariners have already set a school record for wins and reached the SCT semifinals for the first time since 1998, and they have a formidable obstacle in their path in the South Jersey Group IV bracket if they can knock off fifth-seeded Eastern at home in the quarterfinals on Wednesday night. A win there almost certainly means a trip to Atlantic City on Friday to face the defending Group IV champions in the semifinals.
5. Colts Neck (21-5)
The Cougars were dealt a blow when star Brandon Federici, a senior guard, suffered what is most likely a season-ending groin injury in a regular-season loss to Roselle Catholic last week. Colts Neck is the top seed in a very winnable Central Jersey Group III bracket and still has a good shot to win the program’s first sectional title even without Federici. The Cougars beat 16th-seeded New Brunswick 59-43 in the first round behind 23 points from senior Tim Vangelas, which also gave head coach Lou Piccola his 500th career victory. Colts Neck hosts eighth-seeded Wall on Thursday in the quarterfinals.
6. Jackson Memorial (22-5)
The Jaguars just keep churning out 20-win seasons under coach Joe Fagan. After reaching the SCT quarterfinals and falling to Manasquan, the Jaguars now have an uphill road in a Central Jersey Group IV bracket featuring an 800-pound gorilla in East Brunswick. However, Jackson Memorial beat East Brunswick in last season’s CJ IV playoffs, so if the Jaguars can reach Friday’s semifinals, they won’t be intimidated. First they have to get by a tough North Brunswick team on the road in the quarterfinals on Wednesday night.
7. Manalapan (14-10)
This is where the rankings really get tricky and are open to a million different arguments. The Braves lost 53-51 to Hunterdon Central in the first round of the Central Jersey Group IV playoffs, so their season is done. They split with Middletown North during the regular season and tied the Lions for third place in Class A North, but were one of the final eight teams in the SCT before losing to No. 2 Point Beach. They also are one of only three teams to beat No. 5 Toms River North thus far this season. Middletown North could overtake them, but we’ll see how it ends up.
8. Middletown North (15-11)
The Lions have won seven of their last nine and just knocked off defending Central Jersey Group III champion Neptune, 52-49, in the first round. They have played one of the toughest schedules in the Shore, if not the toughest, which accounts somewhat for their record. They reached the Round of 16 in the SCT before losing to eventual champion Lakewood on the road after leading the Piners at halftime. If the Lions can get by second-seeded Woodbridge on the road on Thursday in CJ III, they have a serious shot to win their second straight sectional title after capturing the CJ IV title last season.
9. Long Branch (13-9)
The Green Wave’s chance to really shake up the rankings comes on Wednesday night when they travel to No. 3 Manasquan for a CJ Group II quarterfinal. Long Branch had Manasquan on the ropes in the SCT Round of 16 before they were felled by a last-second shot in a 57-55 loss, and now they are looking for some payback. They are also one of only two teams to beat Point Beach this season, as the Garnet Gulls’ only two other losses are to Lakewood. Long Branch finished second behind Neptune in Class B North during a bumpy regular season but have been tough in the last three weeks.
10. Shore Regional (18-5)
The Blue Devils have struggled in the past three weeks, but honestly, so have pretty much all the teams that would be considered for this spot. Shore lost to Manalapan in the SCT Round of 16 and lost twice in picking up some games to get ready for the state tournament. However, they have a good shot to at least reach the Central Jersey Group I semifinals on Saturday and get a crack at Point Beach if they beat Piscataway Tech at home on Thursday.
On the bubble:
St. Rose (18-6): The Purple Roses lost to Jackson Memorial in the SCT Round of 16 and are in an absolutely loaded Non-Public South B bracket so it will most likely be a brief state playoff run.
Ocean (17-9): The Spartans fell to Toms River North in the SCT Round of 16 after beating Holmdel on the road in the first round, but their playoff hopes are still alive in a wide-open CJ Group III bracket. If they can get by Northern Burlington on the road on Thursday, they will play the Middletown North-Woodbridge winner in the semifinals on Saturday. If Middletown North pulls the upset, which is certainly possible, Ocean would get a home game in the semifinals.
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