By Nicholas Lowe SSN Contributor 

Get our free mobile app

Tuesday 1/3

#10 Ranney (6-1) 60  vs Wall (2-5)  48
Ranney is coming off a win against Colts Neck to win the Holmdel Holiday Tournament and has cracked the Top 10 for the first time this season. Wall, who started the season in the Top 10 will look to get back on track this week and climb back into the rankings.

#6 Rumson (5-3) 44 vs #8 Red Bank Regional (5-3) 36

Ranney had three players score double digits to get a win in C North over Wall. Sophomore Haley Poser scored 17 points, senior Sarah Hughes added 16 and sophomore Brooklyn Taylor added 15 points. Wall was led by junior Emily Tvrdik with 18 points.

#7 Ocean Township  58  @ Jackson Memorial  42
In a non divisional game, #7 Ocean Townships spoiled the return of Jackson Memorial’s star player, senior Zoie Maffei, who had been out to start the season with an injury.  The Spartans played strong defense and great team basketball on the offensive end to defeat the Jaguars 58-42.

Ocean got off to a hot start on the offensive end, scoring 23 points in the first quarter to jump out to a ten point lead. They had a balanced attack with all five starters scoring and sophomore Kayden Clark scoring 9 out of her 15 points, which tied Maffei’s total for a game high.

“We have been playing together forever,” junior Eli Clark said. “We feed off each other, we have guards who can shoot and bigs who work hard in the post and we just go back and forth together.”

The Jaguars had a strong second quarter behind senior Kamile Makselyte's strong performance inside the paint. She scored 7 out of her 12 points in the quarter and put Ocean’s junior center Gamila Betton into foul trouble. Jackson was able to get within 8 points, 37-29, going into halftime, but Ocean came out of the half strong and opened up their lead. They outscored Jackson Memorial 13 to 4 in the 3rd quarter and everyone chipped in on the offensive end.

Senior Sofia Chebookjian took advantage of the great passing from Clark (Eli) and junior Jineen Ayyash to score 14 points. She was able to knock down several mid range jump shots and was consistent inside the paint.

“Sofia is one of those girls who sometimes gets lost in the headlines,” Ocean coach Mike Lazur said. “For her to step up like this and she really stepped up on the defensive end and also on the offensive end. When she was walking out of here I told her how proud I was with how hard she played.”

The Jaguars were able to create a couple turnovers in the 4th quarter when they switched their defense to a halfcourt trap, but Ocean was able to adjust and slow the game down. Clark(Eli) was a big factor handling the ball and avoiding the trap to prevent turnovers. Throughout the game she controlled the offense and found the open teammate for easy baskets and on defense she caused problems for Jackson, creating turnovers and having four steals.

“I trust her with the ball and to make decisions,” Coach Lazur said. “Her teammates trust her as well and she is a great leader. A lot of times I do not call the out of bounds plays, I don’t call some of the plays we run in the game. She will see the defense and make the call and a lot of times she is right on the money.”

Ocean moves to 7-0 on the season and faces Monmouth on Thursday and Manchester on Saturday. Jackson Memorial drops to 4-4 and faces Toms River East on Thursday and Lacey on Friday.

#9 Toms River North (5-2) 47  vs Manchester (5-4)43
TRN was led by junior Megan Sias who had a double double finishing with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Senior Julia Grodzicki added 10 points and 7 rebounds for the Mariners. Manchester was led by junior Devyn Quigley with 34 points and 8 rebounds.

Howell (7-1) 50  vs Freehold Township (2-4) 36
Howell defeated rival Freehold Township behind strong performances by senior Kerry DeStefano with 13 points and sophomore Kiera McKown finished with 12 points. Freehold Twp was led by sophomore Gaby Parker with 14 points.

#5 Trinity Hall 61 (8-1) vs Manalapan (0-5) 28
Harvard commit Nina Emnace continues her great season scoring 20 points for the Monarchs, while freshman Grace Feeney added 12 points. Sophomore Laila Hagan led the Braves with 11 points.

#1 SJV (8-0) 72  vs Freehold Boro (3-4) 24
SJV cruised to an A Central victory with senior Zoe Brooks scoring 17 points and 4 steals. Senior Ashley Sofilkanich had 15 points and 7 rebounds while her freshman sister Taylor added 7 points and 10 rebounds. Freehold Boro was led by sophomore Sayuri Penaranda with 9 points and 7 rebounds.

#2 St, Rose (6-1) 58 vs Neptune (2-5) 34

St. Rose wins a C North division game behind senior Rosie Scognamiglio 14 points and freshman Brooke Missry has a career high 11 points. Neptune is led by St. Rose transfer, sophomore Christa Ramos with 17 points.

#4 Manasquan (6-2) 65 vs Point Boro (2-5) 33
Manasquan had four players score in double digits to get a C North victory. Junior Hope Masonius had a game high 16 points while sophomore Shea Donnelly added 13 points. Junior McKenna Karlson and sophomore Olivia Shaughnessy both finished with 12 points. Point Boro sophomore Katherine Henn had 12 points and 6 rebounds.

Shore Regional (6-1) 59  vs Donovan Catholic (1-5) 32
Shore Regional wins its 5th straight game defeating Donovan in a C South division game. Junior Conley Smolokoff had a career high 19 points, while senior Rylee Drahos finished with a triple double 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Senior Gabby Ross had a game high 23 points for Donovan Catholic.

Central Regional (5-2) 47 vs Jackson Liberty (2-4) 38
Senior Kelsey DiMichele led Central with 18 points and junior Makenna Leszczynski added 12 points as they defeated Jackson Liberty. The Lions were led by senior Ari Broughton with a double double 10 points and 14 rebounds.

#3 RBC (8-0) 60  vs Colts Neck (3-4) 23
RBC was led by WOBM MVP, sophomore Christina Liggio, who had 16 points. RBC had strong freshmen performances by Sophie Smith with 8 points, Tessa Liggio 7 points and Daniela Maletsky with 6 points. Colts Neck was led by junior Julianna Kowaleski with 11 points.

Marlboro (4-3) 44 vs  Lacey (2-6) 27
Senior Erica DiSimone led Marlboro over Lacey in a non divisional matchup with 14 points. Seniors Varsha Simha scored 12 and Amanda Castro added 10 points. Lacey was led by junior Brooke Schmidt with 8 points and sophomore Reese Paget had 8 points and 18 rebounds.

Pt Pleasant Beach (5-1) 50  vs   Brick Township (2-5)  40
Pt. Beach had three players score in double digits to earn a victory over Brick Twp. Sophomore Erin Frauenheim scored 12 points, while senior Kamryn Turnbach and junior Lauryn Case both added 10 points. The Dragons were led by senior Nicole Kuhl with 10 points and sophomore Riley Nausedas added 9 points.

Middletown South (2-5) 51 vs  Middletown North (1-7) 32
In a battle of bragging rights in Middletown, the Eagles defeated the Lions behind a strong game by senior Amanda Paterno who finished with a double double, 17 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore Elizabeth Tardy finished with 12 points and 6 rebounds and junior Erin Mayerhofer added 8 points.


Thursday 1/5 

4:30:  #6 Rumson-Fair Haven at #10 Ranney - Rumson faces its second straight Top 10 team in the Shore when it travels to Ranney in a non divisional matchup. Ranney will look to keep the momentum going that they have had to start the season.


Friday 1/6

5:30:  #6 Rumson-Fair Haven at #2 St. Rose  - Yes, Rumson is playing another Top 10 team in St. Rose. These two teams played on opening day and we can only hope for the same kind of excitement from that game. Both teams have started off the season playing two of the toughest schedules in the Shore.

6:00:  Life Center at #1 SJV - SJV plays a tough out of conference opponent in Life Center. SJV has started the season off undefeated and went 2-0 over the holiday break beating two teams that are usually ranked in the Top 20 in New Jersey.

6:40: Paul VI vs #4 Manasquan  (@ Holy Spirit HS) - Manasquan runs into Top 10 team in NJ, Paul VI. This will be a rematch from last year where Manasquan won 55-50 in a close game. Manasquan rebounded against Sparta after losing to #3 RBC in the WOBM finals.


Saturday 1/7 

11:30:  Manchester at #7 Ocean Twp - Manchester is led by junior Devyn Quigley who just set a scoring record at the WOBM Holiday Tournament. Ocean will have to find a way to slow her down and keep her from scoring her average of 40 points a game. Ocean did a great job holding Colonia’s Taylor Derkack to 13 points during the holiday break and Coach Lazur preaches defense first.


More From Shore Sports Network