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Each week over the course of the high school basketball season, Shore Sports Network recognizes the top performers in each division of Shore Conference boys basketball and gives the readers a chance to weigh in.

Read about the eight candidates - six divisional players of the week and two wild cards - from last week and pick the one you think has the best case as the overall Player of the Week, with the winner taking home a Surf Taco gift card. Vote once per hour in the poll at the bottom of the post until voting ends on Wednesday at 10 p.m.

Class A North Player of the Week

Ryan Knorr, Manalapan

On Saturday, Knorr became the first 1,000-point scorer at Manalapan since current Tennessee Titans tight end Anthony Firkser by scoring 31 points – his second 30-point game of the season. That performance, which also included six assists, led Manalapan to a win over Southern to cap a 3-0 week for the Braves. The week began with a one-point win over Freehold Township in which Knorr posed 12 points and four assists, followed by 26 points and six assists in a 50-43 win over a scrappy Freehold Boro squad.

Class A North Honorable Mention: Jack Sheridan, Middletown South; Luke Albrecht, Middletown South; James Anderson, Middletown South; Mike Dabas, Middletown South; Aleksy Friedman, Marlboro; Jiasion Carpenter, Freehold Boro; Chris Fontera, Manalapan; Ryan Neely, Freehold Boro; Ryan Mabrey, CBA; Jayden Holmes-Cotter, Freehold Twp.; Dylan McVeigh, Howell

Class A Central Player of the Week

Kiran Desai, Monmouth

With a team light on senior influence, Monmouth has been going through a rebuild in 2019-20 and the Falcons had their most positive week of the season last week thanks to Desai and teammates Aiden Denton and A.J. Po. Desai scored 15 points in a win over Henry Hudson that snapped a 13-game losing streak, but it was two nights later when he and his Falcons left their mark for the week. Desai hit the go-ahead free throws with three seconds left to cap a 14-point game and a 52-50 upset of No. 8 Red Bank Catholic.

Class A Central Honorable Mention: Doug Chan, Holmdel; Derek Chan, Holmdel; Alex Galvan, Manasquan; Geoff Schroeder, Rumson-Fair Haven; Jaylen Smith, Raritan; Jack Carroll, Rumson-Fair Haven; Frank DiNatale, St. Rose

Class A South Player of the Week

Jakari Spence, Toms River North

Spence is building a strong Shore Conference Player of the Year resume and he added to it last week. The senior guard scored 20 points while dishing out 10 assists in a win over Brick Memorial, then posted 32 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in a win over Southern that clinched Toms River North’s sixth consecutive Class A South championship. The seven assists vs. Southern made it 10 straight games for Spence with at least five assists, giving him averages of 21.1 points and 6.4 assists per game on the season.

Class A South Honorable Mention: Najae Hallenbeck, Toms River North; Lamir Mitchell, Toms River North; Ryan Goodall, Toms River East; Nick Luongo, Toms River South; Ben Ridgway, Southern; Justin Soranno, Central; Mike Goodall, Toms River East; Jalen Folsom, Toms River South; Nick Colon, Jackson Memorial; Jeremy Campbell, Brick Memorial

Class B North Player of the Week

Quinn Calabrese, Wall

Sticking with a theme of players who helped their team clinch a division title this week, Calabrese was central in leading Wall to two big wins that locked up the program’s second consecutive B North championship – the first time Wall has won back-to-back division titles in 46 years. Calabrese scored 16 points to lead the Crimson Knights past Neptune on Tuesday, then put up 18 in a road win over Ocean on Friday to clinch the B North title.

Class B North Honorable Mention: Alex Leiba, St. John Vianney; Aidan Horan, Colts Neck; Corey Miller, Ocean; Azmere Wilson, Neptune; Nate Williams, St John Vianney

Class B Central Player of the Week

Pete Gorman, Mater Dei

After a slow scoring week by his standards, Gorman returned to form this past week against a quality schedule. The senior scored 29 in a win over Keyport to open the week, then put up 18 on Point Beach – two teams that look poised to be in the Shore Conference Tournament field. He then put up 17 against No. 2 Middletown South – a game Mater Dei trailed by four points with 3:30 to go – and scored 24 in a win over Olympus Prep on Sunday. Gorman also hit three go-ahead free throws in overtime on Sunday to help close out a solid 3-1 week for the Seraphs.

Class B Central Honorable Mention: Charles Anyichie, Ranney; Elijah Perkins, Ranney; Jake Clark, Point Beach; Sean Turner, Mater Dei; Andreas Von Fricke, Mater Dei; Davon Jackson, Keansburg

Class B South Player of the Week

Ryan Savoy, Lakewood

It was another impressive week for Lakewood, which started off by rallying from a 12-point first-quarter deficit to beat Donovan Catholic behind a 15-point night by Savoy. The Piners senior then threw in 20 to lead a one-sided win over Jackson Liberty and capped his big week with one of his best lines of the season. In a win over Piscataway, Savoy put up 31 points, 17 rebounds and six blocks to send him and his team into the last week of the regular season storming toward another Class B South championship.

Class B South Honorable Mention: Jaxon Baker, Barnegat; Phanique Dupree, Jackson Liberty; Isaiah Gerena, Barnegat; Amari Petty, Donovan Catholic; Carson Howard, Lacey; Josh Hayes, Manchester; Alex Drucquer, Point Boro

 

Wild Cards

Jack Sheridan, Middletown South

Last week was a big one for Middletown South, which clinched its first outright Class A North title in 41 years while running its Shore-Conference-season-best winning streak to 16. As usual, the Eagles got significant contributions from their six regulars and over last week’s stretch, Sheridan stepped up in a major way. He scored all 21 of his points in the first half of a 100-84 win at Marlboro that clinched the title, then scored nine of his 18 in a decisive fourth quarter at Mater Dei on Saturday. Sheridan also posted seven points and eight assists in a win over Freehold Boro to open the week.

Ryan Mabrey, CBA

Injuries have significantly marred Mabrey’s follow-up to his breakout freshman campaign but the sophomore guard started to look like a healthy version of himself last week. Mabrey opened the week with 13 points in a win over Howell, then poured in a season-high 18 in a rout of Freehold Township as the Colts avenged an earlier loss to the Patriots during which Mabrey left with an ankle injury.

 

 

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