Shore Sports Network Boys Basketball Top 10, 1/13/14

The first couple of top 10 lists were based on the premise that there were three teams that stood above the rest and that the rest of the Shore Conference was chasing. Not so any longer. Long Branch took down defending Shore Conference Tournament champion Lakewood and after that, plus some attrition at the bottom of the top 10, the top 10 seems a little more wide-open.

One thing is for sure: there is still a clear No. 1.

1. Point Beach (6-0, 3-0) Last Week: 1

It was pretty clear that the Garnet Gulls were the best team heading into the season and they made that abundantly clear at the Boardwalk Showcase by handling Jackson Memorial, 57-37. There may be a few teams that can go deeper into the bench, but no team has as much balance in its starting lineup, nor a trio as good as Matt Farrell, Dom Uhl and Noah Yates. Lakewood and CBA are still dangerous, while Long Branch and Matawan have proven themselves at different times during the early going, but this conference is Point Beach’s to lose.

2. Christian Brothers Academy (4-3, 3-0) Last Week: 3

The Colts are 1-3 outside the Shore Conference, but those three losses were a one-point loss at West Orange and losses to perennial national powers DeMatha (Md.) and St. Anthony. Against the Shore Conference, CBA has had little trouble outside of a competitive first quarter against Middletown South, going 3-0 with an average margin of victory of 26 points against the three Class A North teams. The Colts have yet to play Freehold Township, Middletown North or Colts Neck so while CBA has been tested by a good schedule, the Colts still have plenty to prove.

3. Matawan (7-1, 2-0) Last Week: 6

To exhibit how open this spot is, this week’s No. 3 team trailed St. John Vianney – now losers of seven straight – with 10 seconds left before Austen Planes bailed them out with a last-second lay-up. Despite the close call, Matawan has played great basketball since the second round of its holiday tournament, including Monday’s win over Long Branch to gain an early leg up in the Class B North race.

4. Long Branch (6-2, 3-1) Last Week: 4

The Green Wave might have been in for a drop after losing to Matawan on Monday, but Long Branch redeemed itself with a thrilling win over a very tough Lakewood team. Long Branch had some trouble closing out good teams last year, so Saturday’s win over the Piners at the Hoop Group Boardwalk Showcase is a big step for a team looking to build on a strong finish to last season.

5. Lakewood (5-2, 3-0) Last Week: 2

Saturday’s loss to Long Branch was a tough one, but it is by no means a bad loss considering that Long Branch is one of several Class B North teams playing well during the early part of the season. Lakewood might not have that obvious go-to source for offense like it did last year and that might have hurt the Piners at times on Saturday, but they get help from a lot of different sources. In the end, this is a one-point road loss for a team that is still working some new pieces in, so by no means is this a red flag yet. Monsignor Donovan will pose a tough test on Monday in Lakewood.

6. Manasquan (6-1, 4-0) Last Week: Not ranked

It is only the second full week of January and Class A Central is already a slugfest. Manasquan comes in as the first A Central team this week for a couple of reasons. First of all, the Warriors have the most recent big win, which came on Tuesday at Rumson-Fair Haven, where Shore lost on opening night. The second is that the Warriors' loss came in December and on a night in which they had an unusually poor shooting game from behind the three-point line. That game sticks out as the outlier at this point, so with a slight edge in consistency, Manasquan gets the edge over Rumson and Shore for now.

7. Rumson-Fair Haven (6-1, 2-1) Last Week: 5

A last-second shot ended the Bulldogs’ perfect start in a 67-65 loss to Manasquan, and because of that head-to-head loss on their own home floor, they go behind the Warriors. Since beating Shore on opening night, Rumson had not really had any serious challenges before the Manasquan game, so it should at least wake the Bulldogs up. Rumson has a chance to right the ship against Red Bank Catholic and Holmdel this week.

8. Neptune (4-3, 2-1) Last Week: Not ranked

The Scarlet Fliers are the classic case of a team that plays to its competition. In seven games this season, Neptune has scored five more points than it has allowed and Saturday’s 59-49 win over Shore was the first game it has played that was decided by more than eight points. The Fliers have defeated Elizabeth, lost close games at Long Branch and at home to Seton Hall Prep, but needed to squeak out wins against Freehold and Wall on the road. Neptune still might be finding its way, but at the very least, the Scarliet Fliers proved they will be a factor in the Shore Conference this season with their win on Saturday.

9. Shore (5-3, 2-1) Last Week: 8

The Blue Devils have made a living as a fourth-quarter team over the past two seasons, but the fourth quarter has failed them three times this season. One of those was against the No. 1 team in the state – St. Joseph-Metuchen – but the other two were games that an experienced Blue Devils team seemed poised to escape with wins. A 20-point win over Manasquan is one reason the Blue Devils should be higher, but Manasquan just missed open shots in that game and things snowballed. This division still needs to play itself out and Shore should be there until the very end.

10. Southern (4-1, 2-0) Last Week: Not ranked

If not for a half-court heave, Southern could possibly still be unbeaten. As it is, the Rams have recovered by beating Toms River North and then Jackson Memorial to move into pole position in Class A South. Mike Gesicki has been a machine so far, averaging 22.8 points per game while blocking six shots in each of the wins over Toms River North and Jackson Memorial. Southern has a very challenging week ahead, with road games at Brick Memorial (four straight wins) and Toms River South (6-2) and a home game against St. Augustine.

Dropped Out

Manchester (5-3, 1-2) Last Week: 7 – The Hawks have hit tough times, but that’s because they had to go to Monsignor Donovan and host a tough Camden team.

Jackson Memorial (6-3, 2-1) Last Week: 9 – The Jaguars have some issues to sort out, but like Manchester, they have run into some tough teams (Manchester, Southern and Point Beach).

Toms River South (6-2, 2-1) Last Week: 10 – As the team in the No. 10 spot, the Indians probably had to remain perfect to stay in and the loss to Brick Memorial spoiled that notion. They could jump back in by beating Southern.

On the Bubble

Monsignor Donovan (6-2, 3-0) – While the resume is very good, the Griffins lost to Toms River South and Toms River East, so they are not must-rank just yet.

Freehold Township (6-3, 3-0) – The lone losses are twice to Jackson Memorial and once to Toms River South in a consolation game, so the Patriots are a few dominoes away from jumping back into the Top 10.

Brick Memorial (4-2, 2-1) – The Mustangs are quietly on a four-game winning streak and their two losses came to Jackson Memorial and Monsignor Donovan. A win over Southern on Monday would make five in a row and would give the Mustangs a real shot to jump in.

Jackson Liberty (4-3, 2-1) – A win over Southern is the only part of the resume that has Jackson Liberty in the mix, but that’s a good win considering Southern’s recent wins over Toms River North and Jackson Memorial.