Girls Basketball – SJV Returns to the Top Spot in the Shore 16 Rankings After Winning Their 5th Straight SCT

Shore Sports Network Shore 16

Week 9 Post Shore Conference Tournament

1. St. John Vianney (20-7) Previous Rank: 2 - SJV returns to the top spot in the Shore Conference after being dethroned in Week 4 by the same team they defeated to win the Shore Conference Tournament. The Lady Lancers won their 5th straight SCT title after defeating Manasquan 33-27. SJV is the No. 4 seed in South Jersey Non-Public A and opens up against Camden Catholic on 2/23.

2. Manasquan (20-5) Previous Rank: 4 - Manasquan returned to the SCT final after defeating top seed RBC in the semifinal round 59-56. The Warriors fell to SJV in the final 33-27. Manasquan trailed by 12 points in the 3rd quarter, but battled back to make it a one point game in the 4th quarter. Manasquan will start the Central Jersey Group 2 sectional as the No. 2 seed and will host the No. 15 seed Monmouth Regional on Wednesday.

3. Red Bank Catholic (21-5) Previous Rank: 1 -.RBC lost their top spot in the Shore Conference after falling to Manasquan in the SCT semifinal round 59-56. The Caseys will look to regroup as they prepare for the South Jersey Non-Public A sectional tournament. RBC is the No. 1 seed and earned a bye in the opening round. They will face the winner of Notre Dame/ Mount St. Mary match-up, who plays on 2/23.

4. Trinity Hall (17-7) Previous Rank: 3 - Trinity Hall made it to the SCT Semifinal for the first time in the school’s history. They took the eventual champions, SJV, to overtime after trailing by 14 points in the second half. The Monarchs will be the No. 2 seed in South Jersey Non-Public A and have a bye in the opening round. They will host the winner of Paul VI and Immaculata on 2/26.

5. Ocean Township (21-5) Previous Rank: 5 -. Ocean went 2-1 as they prepared for the Central Jersey Group 3 sectional. The Spartans will be the No. 2 seed and look to return to the CJG3 final after losing to top seed Ewing in the final last year. Ocean will host Brick Township on Thursday in the opening round.

6. St. Rose (16-9) Previous Rank: 6 - St. Rose was idle last week and will go 12 days without playing a game when they start the South Jersey Non-Public B sectional. The Purple Roses are the No. 3 seed and host St. Joseph (Hamm.) on Thursday. Last year they fell to sectional champs Rutgers Prep in the semifinal round. 

7. Rumson-Fair Haven (16-8) Previous Rank: 8 - Rumson defeated Red Bank Regional for the second time this season as they prepared for the Central Jersey Group 2 sectional. The Bulldogs will be the No. 3 seed and host Johnson on Wednesday. Last season Rumson fell to the Group 2 champions, New Providence, in the sectional semifinal round.

8. Red Bank Regional (14-9) Previous Rank: 7 -. The Bucs went 1-2 last week as they got ready for the Central Jersey Group 3 sectional. RBR is the No. 4 seed and will host Freehold Boro on Thursday. Last year RBR fell to Ocean Township in the semifinal round. 

9. Wall (18-7) Previous Rank: 9 - Wall split two games last week against teams ranked in the Shore 16. They defeated Jackson Memorial and lost to Ocean as they prepared for the Central Jersey Group 2 sectional. Wall is the No. 5 seed and will host Bound Brook on Wednesday. Last year Wall fell to Manasquan in the opening round of the sectional. 

10. Manchester (19-7) Previous Rank: 10 - Manchester went 3-0 over the last week as they prepared for the South Jersey Group 2 sectional. Manchester will be the No. 3 seed and hosts Overbrook on Wednesday. Last season the Hawks lost in the quarterfinal round to Cinnaminson, who made it to the finals. Senior Devyn Quigley will be chasing history in the first  round, needing 35 points to become the all-time girls scoring leader in the Shore Conference.

11. Howell (18-7) Previous Rank: 11 - Howell went 3-0 last week as they prepared for the Central Jersey Group IV sectional. Howell is the No. 2 seed and will host West Windsor-Plainsboro South in the opening round on Wednesday. Last season Howell lost in the quarterfinal round.

12. Ranney (13-10) Previous Rank: 14 -  Ranney went 3-0 as they prepared for the South Jersey Non-Public B sectional. They will be the No. 7 seed and host Holy Cross Prep in the opening round on 2/23. Last year Ranney lost to Gloucester Catholic in the opening round. If they win they travel to No. 2 Wildwood Catholic on Monday, 2/24. 

13. Holmdel (13-10) Previous Rank: 12 - Holmdel split their two games they picked up as they prepared for the Central Jersey Group 2 sectional. Holmdel is the No. 11 seed and will travel to Spotswood, who is the No. 6 seed, on Wednesday. Holmdel lost to Manasquan in the semifinal round last year in the sectional tournament. 

14. Neptune (14-11) Previous Rank: 13 - Neptune was idle last week and will have gone 14 days without playing when they begin the Central Jersey Group 3 tournament. Neptune is the No. 6 seed and will host Middletown North on Thursday. Middletown North defeated Neptune on 1/31 45-43. Neptune did not qualify for the state tournament last year.

15. Southern Regional (19-6) Previous Rank: 15 -. Southern split four games over the last two weeks as they prepapred for the South Jersey Group IV sectional. Southern is the No. 7 seed and will host Eastern on Wednesday. Southern did not qualfiy for the state tournament last year. 
16.  Jackson Memorial (16-6) Previous Rank: 15 - Jackson Memorial split the two games they played as they prepared to defend their back-to-back Central Jersey Group IV sectional titles. The Jaguars are the No. 4 seed and will host West Windsor-Plainsboro North on Wednesday. Last year Jackson Memorial defeated Monroe in the championship game and year prior Middletown South. Cherokee ended the Jaguar’s seasons in the group finals both years