Shore Sports Network Player of the Week Vote Week 4

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Each week during the 2021, Shore Sports Network will nominate eight standout players for the Seaview Orthopaedic Boys Basketball Player of the Week Award. This week's nominees consist of players who had big games, eye-popping stats and clutch moments in helping their respective teams.

Read about the eight nominees and some of the honorable mention performers before voting for you Player of the Week pick at the bottom of the page. Vote every hour until the poll closes Wednesday at 10 p.m. The winner will receive a gift card to Jersey Mike's and shirt courtesy of Seaview Orthopaedic.

Players listed alphabetically

Jack Collins, Manasquan

Manasquan made its triumphant return to the court last week, showing few ill-effects of a two-week layoff by beating three high-quality opponents in Montclair Immaculate, Wall and Don Bosco. Ben Roy again pace the Warriors in scoring – including his 1,000th point – but it was Collins who served as one of several difference-makers alongside Roy. Collins struck for 18 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three blocks in the Monday win over Montclair Immaculate, then went off for 22 points and six rebounds in the win over Wall – including 14 points in the fourth quarter.

Phanique Dupree, Jackson Liberty

Two years removed from its first division championship in program history, Jackson Liberty is starting to show some real promise with an entirely new group that is heavy on junior contributors. Dupree is the headliner of that group and he turned in a strong week to help his Lions go 3-0. The 6-foot-5 junior scored 31 points in the two wins over Pinelands, including the last four points of last Monday’s overtime win vs. the Wildcats. Dupree closed out the week with 19 points in a win over Long Branch, which pushed the Lions to 5-4 with their fourth straight win.

Colin Farrell, CBA

CBA’s Feb. 13 win over Marlboro started a run of what was supposed to be four straight games against the other two teams in the Class A North “Big Three” in 2021, with two dates with Freehold Township and a second showdown with Marlboro on the weekend. Farrell was an all-around contributor in that 33-point win over Marlboro last week and stepped up even more in two games this past week (the second Freehold Township game was postponed due to the latest snowstorm). Farrell poured in a team-high 17 points and helped out in a sterling team defensive effort in a 54-35 Colts win over Freehold Township, then poured in 24 points in a competitive, 59-52 loss to Marlboro on Saturday.

Chris Frontera, Manalapan

Frontera is the lone returning starter from a Manalapan team that spent a significant amount of time in the Shore Sports Network Top 10 in 2020 and last week, he played like a veteran and a leader. Manalapan only went 1-2, but it was against a tough group of teams and it came with Manalapan playing competitively against three quality opponents. Frontera went off for 28 points in a loss to Marlboro and to cap the week, the senior sharp-shooter poured in 21 points with five three-pointers in a thrilling 48-46 overtime win at Freehold Boro.

Carson Howard, Lacey

Lacey did not play its first game until Feb. 10 and began with three straight losses. It looked like it might be a lost season for the sophomore-heavy Lions, but instead, Lacey finally clicked last week. Howard was the star of the 2-0 week, averaging 25.5 points and 13.5 rebounds in two wins over Monmouth and Manchester. Howard put up 23 points and 10 rebounds at Monmouth, then erupted for 28 points, 17 rebounds and five blocks in a convincing win over a previously-unbeaten Manchester on Saturday.

Pat Lacey, Wall

The 2019-20 season was a big one for Lacey and 2021 has been even better for the senior guard – at least at an individual level. After claiming a Third Team All-Shore spot as a junior, Lacey has been a constant for a Wall team that is only 3-6, but has played one of the Shore’s toughest schedules. Last week, Lacey poured in a team-high 20 points in 72-64 loss at No. 1 Manasquan, then pumped in 28 points in a Senior Day win over St. Rose on Saturday. In the win over St. Rose, Lacey became Wall’s latest player to join the 1,000-point club for his career.

Jay Silva, Southern

Since dropping an opening-night loss at Toms River North, Southern is one of the Shore’s hottest teams, putting together a seven-game winning streak that currently ranks tied as the longest active winning streak in the conference, with Ranney also heading into the week on a seven-game surge. Silva was the star last week, putting up two 16-point double-doubles to cap the week. The 6-foot-5 senior posted 16 points, 10 rebounds and three assists to complete a sweep of Toms River South on Wednesday, then went for 16 points and 12 rebounds in a win over Pinelands.

Jon Spatola, Marlboro

Based on the performance of other teams that could threaten their spot, Marlboro probably was not in any serious danger of missing out on the eight-team championship pod save for a surprising loss, but Saturday’s game at CBA was the Mustangs’ last chance to get off the proverbial bubble and essentially lock up a spot. Led by Spatola, Marlboro came through on Saturday by beating CBA, 59-52, with the 5-8 junior unleashing a 25-point effort with five three-pointers. Spatola also scored 17 points in each of Marlboro’s two earlier wins in the week over Manalapan and Freehold Boro.

Honorable Mention

Lauwensky Astral, Mater Dei Prep (Averaged 15 points in two wins over Point Beach)

Troy Buxton, Lacey (Scored 21 points with five assists in each of Lacey’s two wins)

Brian Haddow, Middletown North (18 points and 4 assists at Montgomery)

I-Meer Johnson, Central (18 points and 15 rebounds vs. Howell)

Matt Lee, Point Boro (22 points vs. Barnegat)

Evan Peters, Ocean (20 points vs. Shore)

Logan Peters, Wall (19 points at Manasquan; 14 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals vs. St. Rose)

Justin Rivera, Raritan (13 points, go-ahead 3 at Colts Neck with 40 seconds left)

Ben Roy, Manasquan (26 points vs. Montclair Immaculate; 29 points vs. Wall; 14 points vs. Don Bosco)

Justin Soranno, Central (23 points, 8 rebounds, 5 blocks vs. Howell)

Tyler Tilton, Shore (22 points, 13 rebounds vs. Long Branch; 14 points at Ocean)