Boys SCT Round of 16 picks/Girls Round of 16 Extras

Before I get to the extra stuff from the girls Shore Conference Tournament Round of 16 action on Thursday night, here are my picks for the boys Round of 16 on Friday.

Also, just a quick note: I will be doing live updates from the St. Rose at Manasquan game on Friday. Manasquan is expecting a sellout, and St. Rose athletic director Jim Agnello told me at the girls game on Thursday night that he was told the doors at Manasquan will be opening at 5:30 p.m. for a 6:30 p.m. tip-off. If you can’t make it, I’ll have updates and video highlights.

Now, on to the picks. I went 9-5 in the preliminary round, which is nothing great. I’ll try to do better in this round. Hopefully I can take the momentum from my girls Round of 16 picks, where I went 8-0. There is more parity on the boys side, so it won’ t be as easy. I’ve seen all 30 teams in the field, many of them multiple times, and I still bricked a couple picks in the first round. Time to do better. Here goes.

(17) Colts Neck at (1) Christian Brothers Academy: CBA already has beaten Colts Neck twice this season in Class A North, and this is going to be No. 3. I just don’t think the Cougars have enough scoring depth to stay with CBA. The Cougars will have to hope that the Colts struggle shooting from the perimeter if they are going to have a chance. Colts Neck is a hard-nosed team and doesn’t back down from anyone, but CBA’s high-scoring group of Brian Neller, Roy Mabrey, Pat Light and Matt McMullen is just too much to try and match up with. The pick: CBA.

(25) Keyport at (9) Brick Memorial: Obviously, this game got a whole lot more interesting after Keyport shocked Monsignor Donovan in double overtime. The Red Raiders won’t be sneaking up on anyone this time, and I think Brick Memorial matches up well with them. Keyport’s Mark Ziobro is an athletic swingman, and so is Brick Memorial’s Matt O’Brien. Keyport’s Shawn Dowd is a rugged forward who is also a good athlete, and so is Brick Memorial’s Steve Zrowka. Keyport’s Tony Lopez is a streak-shooting 3-point sniper, and so is Brick Memorial guard Jose Ramos. Keyport’s Bryan Thomson is the muscle underneath who is primarily a rebounder and defender, and so is Brick Memorial’s Brian Rushalski. Maybe Keyport will make me look bad again for picking against them, but I see Brick Memorial being able to counter what they do well and being a little bit deeper, which I think will make the difference in the fourth quarter. The pick: Brick Memorial.

(12) Freehold Township at (5) Middletown South: Will the third time be the charm for the Patriots? Middletown South has beaten them twice this season, including a 66-64 nail-biter that I covered in their last meeting. The Patriots were able to score in a hurry via their full-court pressure, so we’ll see if they just try and play that way for 32 minutes this time. With Matt Devine and Steve Talbott, they are going to score, so that’s not the problem – it’s that they haven’t been able to mount a 32-minute defensive effort in a big game this season. Kyle Cancillieri is starting to emerge as an All-Shore candidate for the Eagles, and the Patriots have not been able to solve them once Middletown South gets into its halfcourt sets. Freehold Township has to turn this into a fast-paced game and turn Middletown South over in the backcourt. I still think the Eagles will find a way behind Cancillieri and Matt Callori, who are tough to match up with in the halfcourt. The pick: Middletown South.

(20) Holmdel at (4) Freehold: On paper, this looks like a mismatch, but I would never count out Holmdel. Freehold has better athletes, but Holmdel has some size that could bother the Colonials, or at least allow the Hornets to play inside-out with Mike Kelly and others and maybe get some good looks for Mike Perillo and Erik Shirvanian from behind the arc on kickouts. This game is about tempo, because Freehold is going to try and get Holmdel to play fast. I think senior Andrew Gerbehy could have a big game because Holmdel doesn’t really have a player who matches up well with him, and the match-up of Perillo and Freehold’s Lance McKenzie at point guard is definitely one to watch. I think Freehold has just enough of an edge offensively that it will take this one unless Holmdel gets hot from behind the 3-point line. The pick: Freehold.

(14) Lakewood at (3) Monmouth: The Falcons already beat the Piners once this season, but that’s back when Joe Willman was dunking on everyone’s head. Lakewood hasn’t shown me they can beat a team of Monmouth’s caliber, especially on the road, this season. I think Monmouth’s guards, Anthony Gibson and Neil Thompson, can turn over Lakewood’s young guards in the backcourt for some easy points. The wildcard here is Lakewood sophomore Jarrod Davis, who I don’t think Monmouth has anyone in particular who matches up well with. A good battle in the paint looks to be Monmouth’s Brent Shelton vs. Lakewood’s Tyquan Strand. I give the edge to Monmouth here just on experience and a proven track record, which Lakewood doesn’t have. The pick: Monmouth.

(11) St. Rose at (6) Manasquan: It’s going to be a madhouse in Warrior-land for this one, as two local rivals battle it out less than a week since St. Rose upended Manasquan in the regular season. Manasquan’s Matt Vadas is one of the top guards in the Shore and a match-up nightmare. Put a smaller defender on him and he’ll post him up or shoot over him from behind the arc. Put a bigger defender on him, and he’ll blow by him off the dribble. The one thing I like about Vadas is his patience, as he does a good job of reading how a defender is going to play him off a screen, and he waits for the play to develop. He also has that killer instinct that all good scorers have. If he knows he can score on you, he will bust you up on every single possession until someone calls timeout or orders a double team to come at Vadas. If Manasquan can just get something close to double figures out of Zach Rodgers, Neal Sterling and Kyle Wehner, this team could make it to the final. Senior center Sean McPaul leads the way for St. Rose, and he has size that Manasquan has had trouble dealing with. If St. Rose’s guards knock down shots off kickouts, the Roses will win again. One scary thing about St. Rose is that it is not a good foul-shooting team, which doesn’t bode well at tournament time. However, I am sticking with my pre-tournament pick of the Purple Roses to go into enemy territory and pull it out. The pick: St. Rose.

(10) Point Boro at (7) Asbury Park: I’ve tried to figure out this game for a while and I just can’t seem to get a handle on it. Will Point Boro handle Asbury Park’s pressure and do enough in the halfcourt to win? The Panthers’ offense is not built to come from behind double-digit deficits, so they can’t let the Blue Bishops hit them with a big run early on. I’ve seen Asbury Park a few times, and other than maybe Ron Berardesco, they flat-out can’t shoot. They get all their points on second chances, turnovers and transition because they are so fast and anticipate rebounds so well on the offensive glass. Plus, Jamar Smalls does a good job of running the break in the open floor and the Blue Bishops have tons of finishers. They are way faster and way quicker than Point Boro, but I can see Kevin Hynes coming up with a gimmicky defense that could frustrate Asbury Park. My main hesitation in picking the upset is that Asbury is so tough on its home court. I’m chickening out and going with the chalk, although I think this is one I might regret, especially because junior guard Wil Hawthorne may have snapped out of his scoring slump in Point Boro’s first-round win over Central. The pick: Asbury Park.

(15) Toms River East at (2) Neptune: This is not a good match-up for Toms River East because I don’t know if the Raiders’ guards can handle Neptune’s full-court pressure. Plus, if Richie Suhr has to expend a lot of energy just trying to get the ball up the court, he won’t have as much in the tank to focus on scoring. I’m guessing the Raiders will sit in a zone because they have nobody who can keep someone like D.J. Gutridge in front of him. I’m interested to see if Alex Bergstrom can cause some trouble on the offensive glass against the smaller Scarlet Fliers, but conversely, Neptune senior Dan Singleton is so quick off the dribble for a forward that TRE doesn’t really have any big men who can match that, except for maybe Ray Cochran. The pick: Neptune.

OK, now, on to some extra girls SCT stuff from Thursday night.

I was at St. Rose‘s 52-49 overtime thriller against Freehold, which was one of the better games I saw this season from the standpoint of a big fourth-quarter comeback and a great crowd (and not from the foul shooting, which only Shaq could have loved).

St. Rose coach Joe Roman wanted to push the pace from the beginning because the Purple Roses have a deeper bench, and I think it paid off. Freehold missed a lot of free throws down the stretch which could’ve been tired legs, and on Alexx Hall’s coast-to-coast, game-tying lay-up at the fourth-quarter buzzer for St. Rose, fatigue also may have played a role for the Colonials. I give St. Rose a lot of credit because the way it was shooting and the amount of lay-ups it was missing, added to Alex Eagle’s buzzer-beating 30-footer at the end of the third quarter for Freehold, it would have been enough to frustrate anyone into thinking it just wasn’t their night. Hall was playing in another gear down the stretch, blowing by defenders routinely and finishing with the left hand, and freshman Sam Clark hit some big shots as well. The fact that a girl with that kind of size can step out and knock down threes as a freshman is scary.

St. Rose also did a good job of making Shannon Mayrose catch the ball 15 feet and out on most occasions, while also running another defender at her repeatedly. She scored 18 points, but she had to expend a lot of energy to do it. I know most will remember Hall’s heroics, Clark’s steady play and Alison Sweeney‘s clutch 3-pointer, but I think senior Mary Hagaman did a nice job as well with a big fourth-quarter bucket and two huge free throws in overtime on a night when seemingly no player on either side could convert two consecutive foul shots. Also, there’s something to be said for team chemistry. The girls on St. Rose seem to genuinely root for one another and don’t seem to care who gets the credit, which, believe me, is becoming a more and more rare quality in top teams. I think that helped them stick together when they couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn for three quarters.

Freehold also shot itself in the foot with a rash of missed free throws and by shooting early in possessions even though it was up by double digits with only 4 minutes left in regulation. That gave St. Rose more possessions, and the Purple Roses took advantage of them.

As for the other games, it was a little dicey for Rumson-Fair Haven, which trailed 21-12 at the half to Freehold Township before coming back to claim a 36-31 win. It sure helps to have Kate Miller, who had 15 points, and a defense that can pitch a shutout for a whole quarter, like the Bulldogs did in a 15-0 third-quarter showing that gave them the lead back for good.

The rest was all pretty predictable, although Red Bank Catholic beating Middetown South was seen as a trendy upset pick that obviously didn’t happen.  I think the Eagles are just solid and this is just not RBC’s year. Danielle Pankey turned in another big effort for the Eagles with 26 points and her profile will dramatically raise if she can do something like that against undefeated Neptune in the quarterfinals to give the Eagles a fighting chance. The Scarlet Fliers were stuck in a tight game with Raritan for a little while before running the Rockets out of the gym down the stretch to win by 29.

As for the quarterfinals, I don’t see St. John Vianney-Manchester being much of a game, Colts Neck-St. Rose could possibly be interesting but Colts Neck is a heavy favorite, and Neptune has already beaten Middletown South by 20-plus this season, so that leaves Rumson-Southern. Rumson edged the Rams with a big fourth-quarter comeback in the WOBM Classic final back in December, and Southern is playing some great basketball right now behind junior center Kristen Sharkey.

B/G Hoops: 10 Things We Learned This Weekend

After a loooooong weekend of basketball in which I basically lived at Convention Hall in Asbury Park for the Battle on the Boardwalk slate (and have the annoying sniffles from the frigid temperatures to prove it), let’s get to some of the things we found out from an exciting weekend of basketball. Also, I promise that I will get the Players of the Week from this last week posted by early tomorrow or even late tonight if possible, so look for those. I also am looking to have the alumni page going by tomorrow or Wednesday at the latest.

Also, congrats to St. Rose coach Dennis Devaney on picking up his 400th career victory in a win over St. John Vianney on Saturday, and I’m sure he had plenty of wisecracks to celebrate his long and successful tenure with the Roses. This was a big weekend for the Devaney brothers, as in addition to the milestone, Dennis’s brother Sean and his Holmdel Hornets fell to Manasquan in a showdown for first place in Class A Central on Friday night and the other Devaney brother, St. Louis Rams general manager Billy Devaney, hired the Rams’ new head coach, former Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

BOYS

1. Christian Brothers Academy can hang with anybody: Looking at the video replay numerous times, St. Patrick’s Paris Bennett got that final shot off in time to beat CBA at the double OT buzzer in my opinion, so that was just a great play by him. I’m sure CBA coach Geoff Billet needed a cold one after that game because the Colts were right there. Certainly, St. Pat’s is a different team without North Carolina-bound guard Dexter Strickland or junior guard Kyrie Irving because it’s next group of guards are not even close to that level. The thing I always like to see is who can make individual plays against St. Pat’s level of talent, which always includes several Division I players, which is where Brian Neller and Pat Light showed me something, Neller in particular. He really turned it on at the end, particularly from downtown, which makes you wonder where that was for three quarters but also shows that Neller can seize the moment and make a big play. Light is just the ultimate competitor who backs down from no one, so I wasn’t surprised by his strong performance. Now the Colts just have to show that they can finish off a top opponent with a trophy on the line when we get to the postseason.

2. Monmouth’s Neil Thompson is the best junior guard in the Shore Conference: As a long-time boys basketball follower and coach said to me during Monmouth’s win over Lakewood, “If you’re a college coach and you’re recruiting junior guards in the Shore Conference, how are you not starting with Neil Thompson?” Thompson has elite level quickness, can reliably knock down threes, can defend, and can get into the paint and finish or find open teammates. I know that’s a strong statement given the fact that players that are also highly regarded like CBA’s Roy Mabrey and Manasquan’s Matt Vadas are out there among others, but that’s the way I see it right now. Thompson continues to work on his game and add more and more every season.

3. Monmouth’s Joe Willman is the most efficient scorer in the Shore Conference: He has to be shooting over 60 percent from the field easily this season, and it isn’t just lay-ups and dunks. That 12-foot jumper of his is nearly automatic. I was joking with Monmouth coach Larry Cirignano that I’m almost surprised when he shoots and it doesn’t go in, and he smiled and said, “So are we!” before laughing. Also, kudos to Cirignano, who dug into any info the school had and went through old newspapers to try and find all of the Monmouth school records, which Willman is breaking one by one as he became Monmouth’s all-time leading scorer on Saturday. It’s a nice problem to have. Yeah, we have a guy who’s obliterating every school record in sight, so we just want to make sure what those records are.

4. Asbury Park is a good team, but take the Blue Bishops out of their home gym and they’re vulnerable: With their fullcourt, trapping, end-to-end style, the Blue Bishops’ tiny home gym is perfect for their style. I should know because I played there on a visiting team when I was in high school and when you take the ball out of bounds on one side of the court, your feet usually are actually over the end line because there is so little space between there and the concrete wall in which the Asbury Park faithful feel like they are right on top of you, roaring for their team. The other side of the court is the end of the stage, which I nearly went off the end of once while diving for a loose ball. One good outlet pass and it’s a lay-up in an instant on the other side on that court. However, on the bigger court at Convention Hall, Rumson could handle the Blue Bishops’ press because there was more space to work with, and the Bulldogs kept the game low-scoring in the 40s. Asbury Park is averaging much more points at home than away, and don’t think other teams weren’t taking notes when RFH sat in a zone and forced the Blue Bishops to beat them shooting jumpshots. AP’s Dave Johnson is a good coach, so certainly they will make adjustments now that they’ve seen it, and Asbury Park also has an army of good offensive rebounders, led by senior Lamar Young, who has developed a knack for late-game heroics with last-second buckets in wins over Rumson and Point Beach.

5. Watch out for Toms River North: Quietly, while all the action was going on at Convention Hall, the Mariners had No. 3 Freehold on the ropes before Andrew Gerbehy saved the day with a 3-point play in the final seconds for the Colonials. This Toms River North team has an array of athletes and scorers, and when it cements its lineup and rotation, it will not be an easy out for anybody because it has several players who can guard multiple positions and are a match-up problem, like seniors Steve Nyisztor and Pat Szukics.

6. Middletown South has definitely improved: You knew under head coach Kevin Cullen that they weren’t going to just let the season get away from them, and we’ll see if they are really a different team when they take on Colts Neck again to start the second trip through their Class A North schedule. The good sign is that they are playing low-scoring games, which means their defense has gotten better. The big keys are guards Rob Callori and Jake Brodsky. If they get consistent scoring out of those two, this is a different team. Two areas that have to improve are ball-handling against the press and foul shooting. The Eagles tend ot overdribble against the press, and Neptune took full advantage of that to get a large chunk of points on Saturday, and foul shooting has cost South in losses to Colts Neck and Neptune.

7. We still don’t know which way Neptune is headed: The Scarlet Fliers found a way to beat a good team, Middletown South, thanks to Jabari Joyner’s game-winning jumper, but they still shot 1-for-19 from 3-point range and 20-for-58 overall. They simply cannot continue to shoot like that and pull games out in tournaments. The good sign is that their defense caused 23 turnovers and they shot 9-for-13 from the foul line. I think senior D.J. Gutridge is the best of the four senior guards right now because he always seems to be a factor in any game, whether it’s offensively, defensively, or both, while Joyner, Lem Walker and Thomas Jones tend to have flashes here and there before disappearing at times. I would never write a Neptune team off because the Fliers have proven too many times that they are up to the challenge.

8. Lakewood has to handle the ball better against top teams: The Piners showed that when they got into transition or the halfcourt that they have good one-on-one players who can break down their man and score. However, I don’t know how many times they kicked the ball away, threw it away or had other careless turnovers that you can’t have against a team like Monmouth. Their guard play will determine how far this team can go because if swingmen Jacob Grant and Jarrod Davis can get the ball on the wing in position to score, they are tough. If they have to handle the ball more than usual, that will take them out of their comfort zone.

9. Manasquan will go as far as Matt Vadas can take it: A legitimate 6-4 guard, Vadas is a match-up nightmare who can post up, score off the dribble, score in transition and knock down threes. I think you might see teams employ Holmdel’s strategy from Friday night, which is essentially that they know Vadas will get his points, so just stop everyone else while making sure senior guard Kyle Wehner doesn’t cause drouble from behind the arc. The Hornets did that, but didn’t have the offensive firepower to keep up without Erik Shirvanian in the lineup. Someone on Manasquan is going to have to emerge as that reliable second scoring option to Vadas, and one candidate in my mind is junior forward Neal Sterling.

10. Watch out for Shore and Middletown North: Both of these teams have come on recently, particularly North, which is back from the dead and right back in contention for a postseason berth. Shore took down a Red Bank Catholic team that was playing well in double overtime. These teams might be fringe teams when it comes to making the Shore Conference Tournament, but they also could be the last teams any others want to have to beat to qualify for the postseason or solidify a seed.

GIRLS

1. St. John Vianney is built to play with anybody, but does have a vulnerable spot: The Lancers nearly stunned Murry Bergtraum, but an offensive rebound by Doris Ortega did them in at the very end. The thing that makes SJV so dangerous offensively is that anyone can carry the offense for stretches. Freshman Michaela Mabrey and sophomore Jackie Kates did it for three quarters on Sunday before the Shore’s best closer right now, senior Katelyn Linney, brought them down the stretch. However, the loss showed that the Lancers can be hurt by a good offensive rebounding team. The thing is, I don’t exactly know who that team is in the Shore Conference because the next-best team, Colts Neck, has the same problem itself. Who would be that Shore team that would be able to really exploit SJV on the offensive glass? This Lancers team is just so solid considering that it withstood a treacherous week, which was interesting because Colts Neck had its hell week at the exact same time and also finished strong. I was definitely more impressed with SJV after Ortega said that this was the first team all year that they felt hung right with them and actually made them look like the tired team that couldn’t keep pace. Considering Bergtraum is by far the fastest team I have seen all year, that’s a heck of a compliment to SJV from the best player on a nationally-ranked team that has won 70 straight games.

2. Colts Neck’s season will come down to defensive rebounding because its offense is outstanding: This team’s offense can’t really be slowed down by anyone because its guards are so good off the dribble and play so well together. Plus, if Emily Laurence is going to knock down threes off kickouts like she did on Sunday, that makes this team even tougher to defend. They run that high screen and just get whatever they want off of it. That makes sealing off the defensive boards the No. 1 issue for this team. If they can do that in that crucial four-minute stretch to end a close game, they can beat anyone, SJV included. They also proved that they have the stamina to play back-to-back games with a small rotation against powerhouse teams and compete right to the end.

3. If the rest of Freehold’s starters are aggressive offensively, this team is dangerous: While Shannon Mayrose was excellent as usual and had 22 points in an upset of Red Bank Catholic, I thought it was the aggressiveness of Alex Eagle, Ashley Lewis and Simone Dixon offensively that really made the difference. It gave Mayrose more room to operate, and it got RBC’s frontcourt in foul trouble when one of those three would penetrate and get fouled. If they can do that consistently, the Colonials will be a tough out in the SCT.

4. Sophomore guard Kasey Hobbie makes RBC a better offensive team: While I think RBC”s guards still throw the ball away way too much, Hobbie has major scoring potential because she can knock it down from deep, get to the basket off the dribble and hit mid-range floaters. Her return makes this a team that struggles a lot less to score against good teams. This is still an extremely young team, but that is no excuse any more in the Shore Conference considering that Colts Neck won the SCT with a team full of sophomores last season and Neptune won a sectional title while being led by a pair of freshmen last season. The Caseys will have to get up to speed because teams like SJV, Colts Neck and Neptune will bring back everyone next season, too, so this group has to bring it up a notch. The talent is definitely there, and you would still rather have this loss in mid-January than in February. RBC is the type of team where the light switch could go on a week before the SCT and then it makes a great run, so it certainly can’t be counted out.

5. Neptune is lurking out there under the radar: The Scarlet Fliers quietly beat a well-respected Absegami team over the weekend and are still unbeaten. They haven’t had the high-profile match-ups of those like SJV, RFH and Colts Neck, so they haven’t been at the forefront, but they are hovering out there, preparing themselves to run the SCT gauntlet. Like Colts Neck, they rely almost exclusively on their starting lineup, but with sophomores Shakena Richardson and Syessence Davis, junior Sehmonyeh Allen and senior Marley Mauvais, they are dangerous. Still, they know that no one will believe in the record until they take down an SJV, Rumson or Colts Neck in a tournament game.

6. Middletown South is improving as the season goes along: The Eagles had a nice win over Freehold Township on Friday night and have SCT quarterfinal potential behind Danielle Pankey and Meghan McGuinness. This is a team that can slow the game down and maybe steal one from a well-regarded team, although if they get a No. 7 or No. 8 seed that means a likely meeting with SJV or Colts Neck, which they obviously want to avoid.

7. Colts Neck’s Lauren Clarke is throwing her hat in the ring in the early discussion for Player of the Year: Junior guard Lauren Clarke is right at the top of the discussion along with Katelyn Linney and Kate Miller when talking about first team All-Shore Conference players as she was tremendous in a loss to Shabazz and a win over Christ the King, with 29 points and 22 points, respectively. She also does it without taking a ton of shots as she gets to the free throw line, converts in the paint, and knocks down open threes when she gets them. Granted, much of it is because of the chemistry between her and Brooke Hampton and Tiffany DeTulio, but Clarke has showed up in a major way in every big game Colts Neck has had this season, and that’s the mark of a Player of the Year candidate.

8. We still don’t really know who that No. 5 team in the Shore is for sure: St. Rose occupies that spot now, but the Purple Roses are one of those teams that has beaten every team it has been favored against but has come up way short against the higher-ranked teams (i.e., St. John Vianney). RBC was a candidate, and then lost to Freehold. St. Rose still plays Rumson and RBC, so we’ll see what the Purple Roses do. Right now, there just doesn’t look like that team that can break up that top four of SJV, RFH, Neptune and Colts Neck. It could actually be Freehold if the Colonials are going to play like they did on Sunday.

9. There aren’t a whole lot of divisional races with any intrigue in them: Colts Neck (Class A North); Neptune (Class B North); St. Rose (Class B Central); and Manchester (Class B South) all look like runaways, and it looks like St. John Vianney’s next meeting with Rumson most likely decides Class A Central. Jackson had a two-game lead in Class A South coming into Monday’s game with Southern, but still would have to stumble twice for that division to get away from it.

10. Can anyone from Ocean County crack the top eight in the SCT?: Southern looked like a candidate before a loss to Toms River North, and Manchester is playing better after some early season stumbles, but once again it looks like an uphill battle, mainly because the Monmouth County teams all seem to play one another and have tougher schedules while the Ocean County squads mainly stick to their division and county until the SCT and state tournaments, other than maybe the WOBM Tournament.

Boys/Girls Battle on the Boardwalk Preview

The annual Battle on the Boardwalk, presented by the good people at The Hoop Group, is upon us once again, and I pray to God that the heat in Convention Hall in Asbury Park is working properly given that the current temperatures have me researching the scholastic sports scene in San Diego to see what the prospects are. The heating has been better in recent years as they have sealed up the old building a little more and started the games a little later to get the place warmed up, so hopefully I’m not wearing gloves while typing and filming this weekend.

You can click here for the schedule and ticket information, and let’s take a look at the match-ups on the boys and girls sides, starting with the boys because they are up first on Saturday. I will have video highlights from plenty of games as well as stories, blogs and even some columns if I have time, so make sure to check back often over the next 2-3 days.

One quick recruiting note: Two Rutgers assistants were in the stands checking out Point Beach sophomore Jarelle Reischel against Keyport on Thursday, so the Scarlet Knights remain hot on the trail of the 6-5 swingman from Germany.

BOYS

GAME ONE: RUMSON-FH VS. ASBURY PARK, 1 P.M.

The Blue Bishops are off to a strong start and this would be a nice nondivisional win over a bigger school to add to their Shore Conference Tournament seeding resume. Plus, the game is in their own backyard, so you know the crowd will be on their side. As a Group I team, they don’t get a lot of chances to make a splash in front of a good-sized crowd, so you know they’ll take it. They are tough to defend because they don’t rely heavily on one particular scorer, as William Jones, Joe Anderson and Lamar Young are their main offensive threats. Everyone is quick, everyone is seemingly the same size, and everyone can get to the rim off the dribble. Don’t surprised to see RFH sit in a zone, which means open threes for long-range bomber Ron Berardesco, who will launch it from the parking lot. Rumson just saw St. Anthony’s pressure defense, so the Bulldogs should be ready for the Blue Bishops’ trapping, full-court press, which forces a quicker tempo and usually creates a lot of their offense. They get a steal and they’re on the other end, laying it in before the defense can react. Rumson needs to force Asbury into proving it can consistently score in its halfcourt sets, and has to force the Blue Bishops to beat them by shooting jumpers because if Young, Anderson, Jones and Co. get into the lane at will off the dribble, forget about it.

Rumson, meanwhile, has had a major problem with a slightly important area – shooting. Two of Rumson’s top scorers, seniors Matt Blumel and James LeCardi, are shooting under 40 percent from the field this season. That puts more pressure on the Bulldogs’ defense because they really have to lock teams down if they are going to shoot that poorly from the field. The X-factor in this game could be Justin Hook or Dean Wise. If one of those two can pound Asbury Park on the offensive boards, that will make a world of difference. Shot selection could be key as well because if Rumson is shooting a lot of long-range jumpers and missing, those long caroms could result in runouts the other way for a lightning-fast Asbury team. The way Rumson has been all over the place thus far this season, you would have to look at Asbury Park as the favorite to win this game. I’ve seen a lot of teams over the years rejuvenate their seasons at the Boardwalk after rocky starts, and Rumson is a prime candidate, but on paper the Bishops are just better right now.

GAME TWO : LAKEWOOD VS. MONMOUTH, 2:40 P.M.

I would peg this as the second-best game of the day behind St. Pat’s-CBA, as there will be several Division I players on the floor. Monmouth center Joe Willman is already headed to Bucknell, while Lakewood senior swingman Jacob Grant has received interest from St. Peter’s and Holy Cross and 6-6 sophomore Jarrod Davis has several Big East schools and plenty of others already chasing him.

No. 1 Monmouth, the last undefeated team left in the Shore, is the more seasoned and polished team. The Falcons take good shots, push the ball at every opportunity, and run everything through Willman, who is an underrated passer who also can step back and hit the three. The trio of Anthony Gibson, Neil Thompson and Austin Whitehurst has played like the best guard group in the Shore this season thus far. While Lakewood has some quick guards, including freshman Armond Conover, Thompson in particular is very tough to stop off the dribble and once he gets in the lane, bad things happen for opponents. Willman might be the most efficient offensive player in the Shore because he gets a majority of his points on tip-ins, lay-ups and dunks and will stick the open 15-footer. Lakewood has to do its best to take it hard to the rim and try to get him into early foul trouble, while also limiting the second-chance points from forward Brent Shelton, the king of the weakside offensive rebound. Lakewood has employed a lot of zone defense this season, which is nothing Monmouth hasn’t already seen, but Lakewood’s players are quick enough that they might be able to double down on Willman and recover in time to challenge perimeter shooters like Gibson and Thompson.

Grant, Davis and senior forward Tyquan Strand all have to play well for Lakewood to win this game. The Piners are coming off their best victory, a rout of Monsignor Donovan on Thursday night, but the Griffins are a sub-.500 team that has had a tougher schedule than most but are still not nearly on Monmouth’s level. Lakewood is a team with tantalizing potential, so we’ll see if the Piners are ready to run with the big boys at this point. If Davis and Grant take good shots and avoid throwing up off-balance runners in a clogged lane, this team has the ability to push the Falcons. Strand is also a big body who might be the most consistent player on this team right now. It’s weird, this is one of those games that Lakewood could lose but still prove they are a top 10 team if it goes down to the wire. Given the level of teams Monmouth has dispatched thus far, the Falcons are the clear favorite. Depth is a wash because even though Monmouth relies heavily on its starting lineup, so does Lakewood, which really only goes about six deep.

GAME THREE: ST. PATRICK’S VS. CHRISTIAN BROTHERS ACADEMY, 4:20 P.M.

CBA’s stunning upset of St. Pat’s in 2006 was one of the most memorable games at the Boardwalk that I can remember, other than maybe Neptune’s Marques Alston hitting a buzzer-beater to beat CBA and then committing to Monmouth University on the same day.

The Colt Crazies should turn out for this one (although they have taken a page out of the Red Sox book and their T-shirts now proclaim them “Colt Nation”), and once again it looks a little like a David and Goliath situation. That’s always an interesting spot for CBA because the Colts are usually Goliath. The latest cavalcade of talent from St. Pat’s, which is ranked No. 10 in the nation by USA Today, is led by 6-2 guard Dexter Strickland, one of the top recruits in the nation, who is headed to North Carolina. He is returning from a knee injury and still rounding back into form, which could help CBA’s case. The Celtics also feature 6-6 forward Paris Bennett, who has committed to George Mason, as well as highly-regarded 6-6 sophomore Mike Gilchrist, who is ranked as the No. 3 sophomore in the nation by Rivals.com, and 6-1 junior guard Kyrie Irving, another nationally-ranked recruit. Other than that, the cupboard is bare, except for a benchful of kids who would probably start for most other teams in the state.

Talking to CBA point guard Roy Mabrey earlier this week, he said that a huge key, just like it was in CBA’s win over Freehold Township, is keeping the Celtics out of the lane, particularly Strickland, off dribble penetration. Senior center Pat Light and sophomore Matt McMullen also must do everything in their power to limit second shots. When CBA beat St. Pat’s the last time, it was because it turned the Celtics into a jump-shooting team that was one shot and done on offense, while the Colts were patient offensively until they got a good look.

CBA has been able to get away with shooting poorly from behind the arc and overall so far against the Shore Conference, but it won’t work against a team like St. Pat’s. The Colts have to knock down open looks, and if Mabrey hits a couple early, that’s a great sign. An even better sign would be senior Brian Neller burying a couple early because he has started slowly in numerous games this season. Anything Light and McMullen can get on the offensive boards is almost a bonus, and Mabrey, Neller, Adam Spengler, Matt Byrnes and Travis Farrell have to handle the backcourt pressure by St. Pat’s because the Colts can’t give the Celtics easy baskets on turnovers. Watch out for Jon Rohan as a defender and a possible 3-point threat as an X-factor.

Will CBA take down Goliath again? It certainly would highlight the day, and if the Colts are still hanging around midway through the third quarter, you will hear the buzz begin to build in the old building and the crowd will be solidly behind CBA.

GAME FOUR: MIDDLETOWN SOUTH VS. NEPTUNE, 6 P.M.

This is an important game for both of these teams because both entered with high expectations yet are still struggling to find their way. Don’t forget that these are the participants from last season’s Central Jersey Group III final, when Middletown South stunned Neptune for its first sectional title since 1979, so Neptune certainly has a little payback on its mind.

Neptune is looking for more consistent outside shooting and better defense, particularly on the interior, and better defensive rebounding. The guard group of Thomas Jones, D.J. Gutridge, Lem Walker and Jabari Joyner needs to pick it up a little more, but the real key will be the continued improvement of TJ Hicks, Dan Singleton and Jamaal Hubbard underneath. Middletown South’s best players are Kyle Cancillieri and Matt Callori, who are mainly frontcourt players, although Callori will step out and launch 3-pointers. That is a good test for Neptune’s interior players as far as keeping those two off the offensive boards.

The key to the whole game is Neptune’s full-court press against Middletown South’s guards, who I’m sure are tired of hearing about how they are inexperienced or not doing enough. The Scarlet Fliers could run away with this game if they can consistently get turnovers in the backcourt off the press, and it could do a lot for their confidence as quality opponents have shot a high percentage from the field against them this season. They need to get back to forced 20-plus turnovers and converting 10 or 15 of those into easy points. The Eagles, meanwhile, need someone to step up and really be the leader who commands the team’s attention in tough spots against good teams. They also have to pick it up on the defensive end as well, an area that has not been nearly as good as it was last season. They went to the match-up zone against Neptune in the CJ III final last year and it flummoxed the Fliers into shooting a ghastly percentage from 3-point range and in general, so we’ll see if the Eagles employ it again to exploit the iffy outside shooting of Neptune thus far this season.

If Neptune wins, it will be a nice victory but nothing earth-shattering. If Middletown South wins, that will open some eyes.

OK, now on to the girls side on Sunday, as a few New York City powerhouses invade Convention Hall for two huge games in particular.

GIRLS

GAME ONE: CHRIST THE KING (N.Y.) VS. COLTS NECK, 1 p.m.

After this weekend, Colts Neck is going to be like Cal from “The 40-year-old Virgin” talking to Steve Carell’s character early on a Monday morning after some crazy times in Tijuana. “Yeah, I had a weekend.” Other than maybe a TOC semifinal and final back-to-back, you’re not going to find a 1-2 punch tougher than that.

Colts Neck is playing state power Shabazz on Saturday and then coming right back and playing perennial NYC power Christ the King (8-3) a day later. No, CTK is not ranked in the nation, just eighth in the East Region by USA Today. They are considered the third-best team in the City behind two nationally-ranked squads, Murry Bergtraum and St. Michael Academy.

South Florida recruit Tahira Johnson, a 6-1 senior, leads the way, and CTK also features American University recruit Geliessa George and highly-regarded 5-10 sophomore guard Bria Smith. They have a big frontcourt that also features Taylor Bruner and Bianca Martinez, who are both 6-3, which does not bode well for Colts Neck.

The Cougars are going to need big games from Brittany Howes, Emily Laurence and Leeann Lanza on the defensive backboards to be able to take down the Royals. Second shots hurt them in their loss to University, and they have to keep those big forwards from playing volleyball under the rim because we know Colts Neck is going to score. The trio of Brooke Hampton, Lauren Clarke and Tiffany DeTulio are going to get their points, so it’s more about getting stops and limiting the Royals to one shot. Colts Neck also wants to use its speed advantage to force those big forwards to get up and down the floor in a hurry and tire them out. Also, the more damage that the guard trio can do on penetration and drawing early fouls in the paint, the better.

Considering that Colts Neck only really plays six players, this weekend will be a true test of its stamina against two excellent opponents. CTK is certainly the favorite, but with the way Colts Neck shoots threes and pushes the ball, it certainly has a chance.

GAME TWO: MURRY BERGTRAUM (N.Y.) VS. ST. JOHN VIANNEY, 2:40 P.M.

If you can only stop by for one game all day, this should be the one. The undefeated Lancers, who are ranked No. 38 in the nation by ESPN, take on the Lady Blazers of Murry Bergtraum, who are ranked No. 8 in the nation by USA Today (No. 7 by ESPN) and have won 68 straight games heading into a Friday night game against Lehman (N.Y.). So most likely, the Blazers will be looking for their 70th straight win when they face the Lancers. How is that for a little extra juice to the game?

Murry Bergtraum’s latest array of talent includes junior Doris Ortega, senior guard Shanee Williams, and forward Shukurah Washington, who are the core of the team. Luckily, the Lancers got to see them in person when the Blazers played in the Champions Challenge this past Saturday at Monmouth University, so they saw their speed up close rather than on film, which sometimes can be two different things. This team is much like SJV in that it presses full-court and thrives off turnovers and easy baskets, so which team can handle the other team’s full-court press the best will go a long way toward deciding the game.

St. John Vianney knows it has a clutch scorer it can rely on in Fairfield-bound senior Katelyn Linney, and everyone is comfortable with taking a huge shot, as sophomore Arron Zimmerman showed with her game-winning jumper in the final seconds against Rumson-Fair Haven earlier this week. The Lancers have to shoot better from the field than they did against RFH because they need made baskets to be able to execute their full-court press. Keeping Washington off the boards is another huge factor for SJV. Bergtraum thrives off second-chance points and turnovers, so if the Lancers can win that battle or get a stalemate, you may be looking at one of the new Top 25 teams in the nation and the end of a looooong winning streak. This is a winnable game for St. John Vianney, and the Lancers seem to fare better against nonconference opponents who don’t know them as well as regular foes like RBC and RFH. How about a Missy Repoli baseline jumper with 12 seconds left to win it?

GAME THREE: POINT BORO VS. PEDDIE, 4:20 P.M.

This match-up changed at the last minute when Francis Lewis (N.Y.) dropped out and Point Boro came in because Peddie uses fifth-year players, and there is a New York state rule that teams can’t play opponents using post-grads. So the Panthers now get their chance to be part of a big-time event and face a top opponent.

Peddie is clearly the heavy favorite behind Virginia recruit Lexie Gerson, a 5-11 senior, who has an interesting backstory, and junior Haley Peters. The Panthers are led by double-double machine Becky Metzger, a senior swing, as well as senior Kelly Collins and sophomore Kelsey Haycook. The best-case scenario for the Panthers is to learn from playing a very difficult opponent and use that the next time they face Manchester in Class B South and in the postseason while enjoying the big stage at Convention Hall. If they can get a high percentage of threes to fall, they could make it interesting.

GAME FOUR: RED BANK CATHOLIC VS. FREEHOLD, 6 P.M.

Capping the day are two teams looking to potentially use this game as a spark to drive them to bigger heights this season. Red Bank Catholic is the main candidate for that, as the young Caseys have struggled against the likes of St. John Vianney and Rumson and need to get a confidence-building win over a solid team under their belt. The battle in the post should be a good one between RBC sophomore Chyna Golden and Freehold senior Shannon Mayrose, the new and the old in talented pivot players in the Shore.

Freehold has been up and down thus far this season and a win over RBC would certainly point the ship in the right direction and give the Colonials a big resume boost come SCT seeding time. RBC’s young guards like freshmen Morgan Arnott and Jackie Cajigal and sophomore Mary Kate Byrnes also look to use this game to continue to gain more confidence in their roles and against any backcourt pressure by Freehold senior guards Alex Eagle and Ashley Lewis. RBC also has 6-footer Sam Guastella to pair with Golden underneath, which is more size than Freehold may be equipped to handle.

RBC is the clear favorite in this game but Freehold always has upset potential with Mayrose on the floor.