Live Chat Thursday Night, Football Notes

After not being able to get to it because I was pressed for time last week, there will be a live chat on Thursday night (tomorrow) at 8 p.m. where we can talk about all things Shore Conference football, so just come to the blog to hop in and get your questions in.

I also have some extra notes for the weekend on Long Branch and Monmouth as we head into what looks like a kind of low-key Week 5 with the exception of Toms River North-Brick Memorial and the underrated rivalry between Shore and Rumson-FH on Friday and the usually rugged Brick-Lacey match-up in the Constitution Division on Saturday.

I caught up with Monmouth coach Sal Spampanato to talk about the Falcons’ 53-17 win over South Plainfield that put them into the win column. After rotating Justin Argylan and A.J. Visconti at quarterback in the preseason and early on, he decided to go with Visconti full time and he responded with 198 yards passing and 3 touchdowns on just six completions in the win over South Plainfield.

The reasoning was that Spampanato wanted Argylan to focus on playing cornerback full time and have less players playing both ways. Argylan did what was best for the team, and he rose to the occasion with two interceptions on defense in the win. The eight attempts for Visconti are about the average for Monmouth’s run-heavy offense, but he made them count with six long completions.

“We didn’t tinker with the offense or the play-calling too much, we just threw for a high percentage to complement the running game,” Spampanato said. “It was more just a matter of refining what we do well.”

Monmouth’s players also stuck with it despite an 0-3 start against three good teams – Matawan, Bishop Ahr and Long Branch.

“The kids never got down,” Spampanato said. “They never pointed fingers, they were all at practice every day and working hard, and they stayed with it. You could tell we were getting better every week.”

The bad news is that now the Falcons have to face Highland Park and senior running back Nate Smith, who already has 1,015 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns, with two 300-yard rushing games to his credit.

“He shouldn’t be playing in high school, he should be playing for the Giants by now,” Spampanato cracked.

In other Liberty Division news, Long Branch‘s defense has improved markedly from last season and has fueled the Green Wave’s 4-0 start. The main improvement has been up front, where the defensive line has done a good job holding its ground and tying up blockers for linebackers like seniors Billy George and Julian Mayo to make tackles.

Tarik “Fridge” Cox and Mike Sirianni in the middle and Billy Ballie and Robert Brodie on the ends have helped the Green Wave become much better against the run this season, particularly in the red zone, as they showed in a bend-but-don’t-break performance in a 14-7 win over Red Bank Catholic. Brodie’s younger brother, 6-foot-5 sophomore and potential Division I-A recruit Ryan Brodie, is working in there as well.

“We have a bunch of role players who get it done up front because they are hard-working kids,” said George, who is a four-year starter at linebacker. “Experience has been a big factor, and really practicing hard. On every play in practice, whenever someone makes a tackle, all 11 guys run to the ball before we get to the next play. Kids are really concerned about us having good practices.”

George and Mayo, a transfer from St. John Vianney, have also developed instant chemistry in which they can make calls quickly on the fly to alert the other one about exactly where to be in Long Branch’s defense. Omar Elsherbeiny has also done a solid job at linebacker.

“He’s flying around and scraping off blockers, and it’s allowed us both to make a lot of plays close to the line of scrimmage,” George said about Mayo.

Also, last but certainly not least, is Long Branch’s stellar secondary, which includes Miles Shuler, Karon Hair, Kevin Morris, Ezra Kelly and Devron Clark. Clark has two interception returns for a touchdowns, both of which went for at least 89 yards, so when he gets his hands on it, he is liable to take it all the way back no matter where he is on the field. That makes teams think twice about putting the ball in the air, which only helps the improvement of the run defense.

The Green Wave are fortifying themselves for the gauntlet of Ocean-Matawan-Manasquan in the final three weeks before the state playoff cutoff. Matawan and Manasquan are two teams they could see again in the Central Jersey Group II playoffs, while the Ocean game could potentially decide the Liberty Division title.

“We feel like we still have something to prove,” George said. “Down the stretch we have three games against three outstanding teams, so it’s up to us to rise to the challenge.”

Finally, here’s hoping for a speedy recovery for Lakewood junior wide receiver Anthony Carrington. He is out for the season with a broken leg that he suffered in a season-opening loss to Pinelands. The good news is that he is expected to be healed and ready to return by the winter, where the Toms River North transfer will be a guard on Lakewood’s loaded basketball team for what it hopes is a big season.

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.

Division Title Monday and More

There are only a few division titles left out there on the boys side while the girls side is all wrapped up after Monday’s action as we rapidly approach the Shore Conference Tournament.

Starting with the girls, I took in the first half of Southern‘s eventual 70-45 win over Toms River North that gave the Rams a share of the Class A South title with Jackson Memorial, which rolled past a one-win Toms River East team on Monday night to get its piece of the championship. The Rams were up by 19 at the half, and it was obviously going to be an uphill battle for a Toms River North team that has been hit hard by calamity at the worst possible time. Senior guard Dana Coronato, one of the team’s top players, missed her second straight game with an illness that has put her in the hospital, while forward Sam Heck, another one of the Mariners’ top players and their main interior presence, was on crutches with an ankle injury and was not available to battle the Southern duo of Kristen Sharkey and Avery Hodgson.

Not surprisingly, it was lob city inside to Sharkey, who not only is a good finisher but also is a good foul shooter, and she put in 30 points to key the win, while Hodgson had 10 of her 12 in the first half. The Rams avenged losses to Jackson Memorial and Toms River North after losing to the two of them in their first meeting to take their share of the championship.

Jackson Memorial and Southern were the last two cars in the division title parade, making the final division champs for the 2008-09 season Colts Neck (Class A North); St. John Vianney and Rumson-FH (Class A Central non-public and public); Jackson and Southern (Class A South); Neptune (Class B North); St. Rose (Class B Central non-public); Manchester (Class B South). Congrats to all of them.

The biggest game of the night turned out to be Ocean proving that its earlier win over Freehold was no fluke with a 54-53 victory over the Colonials that spoiled a night in which senior forward Shannon Mayrose became Freehold’s all-time leading scorer. It was another pivot player, Ocean junior Annie Farrow, who stole the show with 23 points and 13 boards to key the victory. That’s a huge win for the Spartans and it only makes seeding the Shore Conference Tournament more difficult. To show what kind of crazy season this has been beyond the rock-solid top three of St. John Vianney, Colts Neck and Neptune, Ocean has a legitimate argument to be seeded ahead of Red Bank Catholic, which has a loss to Freehold, which Ocean beat twice. You don’t see that too often in the seedings, and great job by the Spartans to prove some people wrong by beating Freehold a second time.

Neptune canceled its Wednesday nondivisional showdown with St. Rose during a week in which it has games against Red Bank, which it defeated on Monday, as well as state-ranked Trenton Catholic and Eastern. That’s got to really bother St. Rose, which was counting on that game as a shot to make a big splash before the seeding meeting by handing Neptune its first loss, and now the Purple Roses are denied the opportunity to give it a shot. Too bad, because I would have liked to have seen it. I also wonder if maybe Neptune sophomore standout Syessence Davis, who is out while recovering from surgery for a broken nose and is supposed to return right around Wednesday or Thursday, may not have been available for that game. Hmmm….

On the boys side, I caught the second half of Monsignor Donovan‘s 51-49 thriller over Lakewood after running over from Toms River North’s girls game against Southern, as the Griffins won their fourth straight non-public Class B South title. Sophomore Sean Grennan continues to be outstanding as he had 26 points, and I thought the team as a whole did a solid job in limiting Lakewood’s second chances until the Piners made a lightning-quick run in the final 1:30. I think the one missing ingredient for the Griffins to really take off in the next two years is a true point guard. To me, Grennan could be a lethal two-guard if he didn’t have to worry about bringing the ball up the floor, tiring himself out beating the pressure and initiating the offense as the point guard. If he could just set up on the wing and worry about destroying his man, Mon Don would be awfully tough, especially with sophomore Anthony Duszczak inside and Kevin Carter and Ryan Milana to attack the offensive glass from the weakside.

As for Lakewood, the Piners will have to settle for sharing the public title with Point Boro. They show flashes of scary scoring ability off the dribble and on the glass and then at other times can’t hit anything from the outside or throw up wild shots. Their most consistent player is senior forward/center Tyquan Strand, who is always active on the offensive glass and finishes underneath. He may not get the publicity of Jacob Grant and Jarrod Davis, but to me he has been their best player this year from game to game.

In other news, Raritan has forfeited the game it trailed against St. John Vianney on Saturday before Nick Casalaspro smacked his head on the floor in a scary incident late in the third quarter that required him to be airlifted to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Brunswick. The forfeit means that SJV has qualified for the state tournament. Raritan has also postponed its scheduled Tuesday game with Rumson-Fair Haven and it is up in the air whether or not the Rockets and Bulldogs will even play that game before the SCT cut-off on Feb. 14. As for Casalaspro, I am happy to report that he is out of the hospital and was in attendance at the Raritan girls game against SJV on Monday night, which is great to hear.

Neptune grabbed its piece of the Class B North pie and won its 13th straight with a 66-52 win over Red Bank to guarantee at least a share of the division title. Red Bank’s SCT hopes are now on life support as it has to go 3-0 the rest of the week to qualify and still has games against Freehold, Rumson-Fair Haven and Middletown North. Freehold needs that win over Red Bank to gain its share of the division title, and Monmouth has to beat Ocean on Tuesday to claim its piece of what looks like it will be a Class B North tri-championship.

Congrats to Ocean senior guard Scott Nelson, who dropped in a game-high 21 points and scored his 1,000th career point on a free throw in the third quarter of a 66-42 win over a depleted Mater Dei team that was missing some starters to give the Spartans a win they needed to keep their SCT qualifying hopes alive. Nelson joins Central’s Ibn Moye, Monmouth’s Joe Willman and Toms River South’s Tyler Gebler as seniors who reached the 1,000-point milestone this season.

On Tuesday, the game to watch out for is Freehold Township at Middletown South at 6:30 p.m. If the visiting Patriots win, for all their ups and downs this season, they will have captured the Class A North public title. If the host Eagles win, they will have clinched at least a tie for the public title, but won’t be totally out of the woods yet as far as grabbing it outright as they still have to face a red-hot Howell team on (cue eerie music and sticks crackling in the background of the forest) Friday the 13th. Middletown South left the door open for Freehold Township with its upset loss to Marlboro last week, so we’ll see if the Patriots step through it to claim the public title. They certainly have motivation from the first game, when Middletown South drilled them, 71-42.

Boys Hoops Division Races Heat Up/Neptune’s Manfre Commits to Marist/National Signing Day Coming Up

Before I get to Monday’s hoops action, Neptune senior offensive lineman Rocco Manfre (who also served as the Scarlet Fliers’ punter), has committed to play at Marist, according to Neptune coach John Fiore. Manfre was an All-Federal Division selection by the coaches in the fall. The commitments are coming quickly with national signing day coming up on Wednesday, when a host of athletes will sign their National Letters of Intent to make their college commitments binding and official. Anyone who is signing a letter of intent on Wednesday who can take a digital photo of the signing, please e-mail it to me at stump@allshoremedia.com and I will post it because I would like to recognize all of the athletes who are signing on a proud day for them and their families.

Now, on to Monday night’s hoops action. With four of the six girls basketball divisions a foregone conclusion (Class A North – Colts Neck; Class B North – Neptune; Class B Central – St. Rose; Class B South – Manchester), it has been the boys divisional races that have begun to heat up as we head into the home stretch of the regular season.

I took in Freehold’s 56-47 win over Monmouth, which continues to struggle against top opponents without Joe Willman. It was clear from the beginning that Freehold was going to attack the interior and establish junior forward Christian Garcia. I thought Freehold did a nice job of rotating in time off penetration by Monmouth’s Neil Thompson and Anthony Gibson to challenge any shot in the lane, and Monmouth’s forwards, Justin Ruiz and Brent Shelton, missed a few chippies that hurt the Falcons early on.

Freehold’s Lance McKenzie has become the grim reaper for opposing teams when he gets to the foul line late in the game as he is one of the better clutch free throw shooters in the Shore. The Colonials are hoping that Garcia is OK after spraining his left ankle when he missed a dunk late in the fourth quarter and came down awkwardly, resulting in him limping off the court and wrapping the ankle in ice for the rest of the game.

As for Monmouth, teams are just extending their defenses much farther out on the perimeter because they are not as worried about Willman wreaking havoc in the middle. Ruiz and Shelton just have to be more consistent in finishing around the basket, but the potential is there. Shelton had some nice spin moves inside but just had trouble finishing the play. Gibson kept them in it with five 3-pointers, but I think Freehold would live with that because the big key was keeping him out of the paint where he could create easy baskets for himself and others. I still think Monmouth is capable of making noise in the SCT if Gibson and Thompson play aggressively and their forwards finish inside.

Senior guard D.J. Gutridge and some of his Neptune teammates were there along with head coach Ken O’Donnell in hopes of a Freehold win, which now creates a three-way tie for first in the loss column in Class B North. I would think that Red Bank would be the main team that could potentially throw a monkey wrench into a three-way tie, and that’s who Neptune is schedule to play on Tuesday, weather permitting. I wonder how the three will be seeded in the SCT if none of them lose a game before the seeding meeting on Feb. 15. It really depends if the committee looks at the season as a body of work or if the most recent results carry more weight because Neptune just beat the other two back-to-back on consecutive days, which may help the Fliers potentially grab that No. 2 seed behind Christian Brothers Academy. The fight will be for that third seed because no one wants to get the No. 4 or No. 5 because you don’t want to have to see CBA until the final, rather than the SCT semifinals.

As far as the other games, the big thriller was Point Boro‘s 46-44 overtime win against Lakewood, and those cheers you heard were coming from Monsignor Donovan, which is now right back in the picture as well for the overall Class B South title. (I know there are public and non-public titles and all that, but that means nothing to me. You win the overall title or you don’t.) You can tell by the final score that it was Point Boro’s type of game because Lakewood would much rather get into a 75-70 type of game that is more fast-paced. Senior Pat Hart banked in the winner at the buzzer for the Panthers, plunging Class B South into a 3-way tie as well. Hart has been big for them all season, and we’ll see if he can keep it up when the lights are shining the brightest in the SCT, where All-Shore reputations are made or broken.

Point Boro’s win on Monday means the game to circle on the calendar is Point Boro at Monsignor Donovan on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. and then Lakewood at Mon Don on Feb. 9 at 6:30 p.m. The Griffins have both games on their home court, so the opportunity is there to pull out a division title after lurking just out of first place for most of the season. Point Boro cleared a big hurdle on Monday night and now has a chance to get a win over Mon Don and then hope the Griffins go on to take down Lakewood to give the Panthers the title all for itself.

Brick Memorial took a big step toward claiming the Class A South title by playing its best all-around game of the season in a 21-point win on the road over Toms River North, which added injury to insult when it lost senior starter Pat Szukics just two minutes into the game with a possible dislocated or separated shoulder that was so bad it took about 30 minutes to get Szukics off the court and directly to the hospital. Senior Matt O’Brien led the Mustangs with 17 points, and they have now built up a little cushion in A South to put themselves in a great spot to claim the division title. Guard Jose Ramos also helped hold TRN’s leading scorer, senior Steve Nyisztor, to only two points in the victory. Ramos is a huge key for Memorial. He has been playing better lately, and it’s no coincidence that the Mustangs have been as well.

St. Rose took care of Freehold Township, 67-59, which helps add some more credibility to Class B Central come SCT seeding time, and it was a nice bounce back after a loss to Asbury Park on Saturday. If it doesn’t get snowed out, Asbury Park’s big game in the spotlight comes on Tuesday when it travels to Point Beach for a game that looks like it should decide the Class B Central title.

I give a lot of credit to St. John Vianney, which lost sophomore star Michael Balkovic to a season-ending wrist injury in a loss to Manasquan on Friday but has come back to beat Holmdel and Ocean to keep its state playoff hopes alive. A quick update on Balkovic – he will have surgery on Tuesday morning to have pins placed in his left wrist and will be sidelined for 6-8 weeks. Here’s hoping for a swift recovery.

As for the girls side, the Class A South race just got a whole lot more interesting for a very unfortunate reason. As previously reported here, sophomore center Christa Evans is done for the season with a fractured ankle for first-place Jackson Memorial, which had to pull out a last-second win over a sub-.500 Toms River South team on Monday night thanks to a pair of free throws by Dana Costello. The Jaguars are clinging to a one-game lead in the race and now have to go to face a tough Toms River North team on the road on Wednesday night, which will be a big test of Jackson’s mettle without Evans, who was their leading scorer and rebounder. Costello and Caitlyn Testa will be counted on to rise to the occasion if the Jaguars are going to finish the job and not let Southern potentially get a piece of that Class A South title.

Just like with Willman and Monmouth on the boys side, teams can attack Jackson differently without worrying about Evans coming off to alter shots on defense or causing trouble in the paint offensively.

Everything else was basically status quo on the girls side on Monday night, as Ocean picked up a solid nondivisional win over a Holmdel team desperate for victories in its quest to make the state playoffs.

If we aren’t buried under snow on Tuesday, it should be a big night at Rumson-Fair Haven against visiting Manasquan as head coach George Sourlis goes for his 500th career win and senior Kate Miller is just nine points shy of the rare 1,500-point milestone for her brilliant career.

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.

Thursday Boys/Girls Basketball Ramblings, Lakewood-Pt. Boro boys tonight

I will be at the Lakewood-Pt. Boro boys game tonight as the two square off for first place in Class B South and Lakewood seeks its first victory against a Top 10 team this season. This game is all about tempo. Lakewood wants to push it up and down the floor, Point Boro wants to slow it down and run only on obvious opportunities. Point Boro usually is a hard-nosed man-to-man team, but you could certainly see the Panthers in a zone tonight because of Lakewood’s speed, which puts a premium on Point Boro’s big men to find a body when the ball goes up because when you play zone the one thing you have to worry about is the other team pounding you on the offensive glass because no one is assigned a specific man to box out.

I like the star power here as well with Lakewood’s Jacob Grant and Point Boro’s Pat Hart. This is a good test for Hart, who will face quicker defenders and will have to prove he can still get quality shots off and/or find open teammates. Grant and sophomore Jarrod Davis have been Lakewood’s most consistent scorers all season and have the ability to take over games with their scoring ability. Lakewood has struggled against gimmick defenses like zones, match-up zones, triangle-and-two and other stuff like that in recent seasons, so we’ll see if the Piners can be patient and get good shots if Point Boro coach Kevin Hynes throws something off-kilter at the them. Lakewood has more talent than Point Boro, but Point Boro executes well and hustles from beginning to end, which Lakewood did not do the time I saw them against a good Elizabeth team. We’ll see what wins out tonight. Point Boro is 8-0 and ranked No. 6 in the All Shore Media Top 10, while Lakewood has been banging on the door to get into the Top 10. I’ll have the video highlights and everything else, so if you are not a member yet, make sure you sign up so you can check out everything.

Another game to watch tonight is Brick Memorial against visiting Toms River North for Class A South supremacy. Both teams are very athletic with a lot of combo guard/forward types, like Brick Memorial’s Matt O’Brien and Toms River North’s Steve Nyisztor. I think the Mariners have a wealth of talent, and it’s really defining who will take big shots down the stretch and playing a little more under control that will make them tough to beat. Brick Memorial is solid defensively, and a big key for them is emotional guard Jose Ramos. When he is giving them points and good energy, they are tough. When he gets a little wild or coach Ed Sarluca has to sit him down, it removes a quality scoring option and 3-point threat.

You can listen to the game live on Shore Sports Network by clicking here and clicking on the “Listen Live” link.

OK, now let’s get to a few extra ramblings from the past few days of boys and girls hoops action.

BOYS

• Talking to a Neptune assistant before the game on Tuesday, he pointed out a specific Monmouth player and said, “That is a guy we are worried about.” Joe Willman, right? Nope. Neil Thompson? Next. Anthony Gibson? Wrong. Austin Whitehurst? Guess again. It was forward Brent Shelton, a physical, active inside presence. That is the type of player who has given fits to Neptune all season, and he came out like gangbusters with 12 of his 14 points in the first half and also had 8 rebounds. Players who can finish on the block and pound the offensive glass have given the Fliers trouble all season. Granted, Willman was also a monster with 23 points and 13 boards, but he’s probably going to do that to everyone this season. It’s when guys like Shelton get Monmouth 14 points that they are awfully tough to beat. Willman has added so much to his game. He can face up, step back and drain shots and even has a nice fadeaway from about 15-16 feet after catching the ball with his back to the basket. You can tell he has worked on moves that will help him at the next level at Bucknell, when he won’t just be able to overpower people inside. There’s part of me that would love to see a match-up between him and CBA’s Pat Light in the SCT.
• Anthony Gibson is a good spot-up 3-point shooter and Willman’s presence means everything to his ability to get that shot off because he rarely pulls the trigger from behind the arc off the dribble with a defender in his vicinity because he doesn’t jump very high off the ground on his 3-point attempts.
• Monmouth is arguably the most fun team to watch in the Shore when it gets rolling. Between Willman throwing down dunks, Thompson breaking ankles off the dribble, Gibson draining threes and Austin Whitehurst threading the needle with passes, this is definitely a team you should take time to go watch a few times this season. Just get there early when it’s at Monmouth, because I heard complaints all night from people at the Neptune game that they almost got locked out or that they had friends or family who didn’t get in the door.
• One thing that has stuck out about Neptune in its big games to me, besides the much-talked about problems it has had in the interior defensively and on the defensive backboards, is that it doesn’t get as many easy baskets as usual. Every shot seems to have a high degree of difficulty, whether it’s a deep 3-pointer or a shot in the lane in a thicket of defenders or some kind of off-balance attempt. That’s why Neptune’s shooting percentage has been below 40 percent in its big games. Usually when Neptune is playing well, the dunks, lay-ups and open jumpers are flowing, but that hasn’t been the case. Teams are daring the guards to penetrate and finish in the lane and are extending their perimeter defense to challenge every shot beyond the arc. That I think is a big challenge for coach Ken O’Donnell to solve. The other troubling fact is that they are allowing a fairly high shooting percentage from the field to top opponents, which most likely stems from the fact that teams are getting lay-ups inside from their big men.
• I saw Christian Brothers Academy for the first time on Tuesday and they look like a much different team than last year. I felt like most of their offensive players last year were tentative and scared to shoot at times, but everyone on the floor was aggressive on Tuesday. This is not the CBA of old that works it around the perimeter for a half hour before trying to get a backdoor lay-up. This is a team that attacks off the dribble, swarms the offensive glass and takes its shots whenever anyone gives it an opening (Brian Neller in particular). It’s fun to watch. Also, Pat Light has become a better finisher inside. As head coach Geoff Billet noted, his hands have gotten much better. Last season, he would often drop passes on the block or in traffic or go up awkwardly, but now he gathers himself, makes a clean catch and finishes. I also like sophomore big man Matt McMullen, who I think will continue to help them. He looked a little nervous against Middletown South, but he’s active on the boards and he has range out beyond 15 feet.
• CBA senior swingman Brian Neller is receiving heavy interest from the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC), a Division I school in the America East conference. UMBC head coach Randy Monroe and assistant Nate Stewart were both at the Middletown South game and expressed heavy interest to Billet about Neller after the game. Billet’s old colleague, Monmouth University coach Dave Calloway, whom Billet served under as an assistant, was also in the house looking at CBA junior point guard Roy Mabrey and others, according to Billet. I’ve liked Mabrey since last season, when they threw him in the fire against Boys and Girls (N.Y.) in the Battle on the Boardwalk as a sophomore and he held his own. He already had guts, and now he has a game to go with it as he hit five threes against Middletown South on his way to 19 points.
• I also said hello to former CBA baseball star Kyle Slate, who is now in the Phillies organization and was at the game on Tuesday because he is home before heading to spring training. There is a good chance Slate will be pitching for the low Class A Lakewood BlueClaws this season, making him the first homegrown product playing for the ‘Claws since Casey Martinez (Holmdel) back in the earlier part of the decade, if I’m not mistaken. Slate’s younger brother has also now transferred from CBA to Red Bank Catholic and is a lefty who throws in the mid-80s and should see time with the Caseys.
• Middletown South looks like a two-man team right now. If Kyle Cancillieri and Matt Callori don’t both have big games, they can’t beat a quality opponent right now. However, another issue that head coach Kevin Cullen noted before the game against CBA is that they are working on getting better on defense. Last season, if you looked at most Middletown South games, they held teams in the 40s or low 50s. This season, they are routinely up in the 60s and 70s against most quality opponents, so that’s an area they are trying to improve in.
• My alma mater, Red Bank Catholic, is starting to make some noise in Class A Central with a nice win over Rumson-FH, which is coached by James Young, who is a former player for RBC coach Joe Nappo. A sleeper player that I noted in the preseason, guard Dan Calandrillo, has really become a consistent scorer and one of the better long-range shooters in the Shore. RBC has had spurts of success before in the past few seasons where they win three or four in a row and then come back to earth on their way to a .500 season, so now we’ll see if they can keep it going for a long stretch.
• A team that has been playing well that I feel hasn’t gotten much credit yet is Holmdel. They are quietly tied atop the standings in Class A Central with Manasquan and are unbeaten in the division. Mike Kelly, Erik Shirvanian and Mike Perillo, who are all juniors, have been very solid for this team under coach Sean Devaney. This team is built for success this season and next and should battle a good junior class at Manasquan much of the way. Like RBC, Holmdel has shown flashes of being able to take down quality teams the past few seasons and is searching for consistency, and so far they have looked good with only two close losses to nonconference teams in their holiday tournament.
• Great win by Mater Dei over Keyport early in the week. I gave Keyport a shot at No. 10 in the All Shore Media Top 10, but Mater Dei promptly handed the Red Raiders their first loss of the season. The Seraphs pushed the pace relentlessly and Keyport could not quite keep up despite hitting a ton of 3-pointers. The last few times these teams have played have been great games, as I can remember Keyport’s Mark Ziobro hitting a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat Mater Dei last season. The win put Point Beach in sole control of Class B Central. The Garnet Gulls have a good win over St. Rose but have played an easy nonconference schedule, so we’ll see how they do in the thick of their divisional schedule.

GIRLS

• I couldn’t help but be impressed with St. John Vianney when I saw them take apart Red Bank Catholic on Saturday. They are just relentlessly deep, everyone can score and no one is afraid to take the big shot. It will take a team with some experienced, quick guards to navigate that press for four quarters, and Colts Neck and Neptune have those. The only tiny spot of weakness I could see with the Lancers is that if you can get them into halfcourt defense, they are vulnerable to the lob inside and teams can get decent looks out of their offense. Brittany Howes and Marley Mauvais could be huge for Colts Neck and Neptune, respectively, if they cross paths with SJV, although the Lancers have talented pivot players Arron Zimmerman and Katie O’Reilly. However, getting it across halfcourt has been a problem for most opponents because of that swarming press. RBC was able to get some easy baskets for Chyna Golden off the lob and by beating the rotations on the press early in the game. However, that’s another scary fact with St. John Vianney in that Dawn Karpell will make adjustments to the rotation and those easy baskets early in the game suddenly disappear. Offensively, senior Katelyn Linney is still their go-to player, but no one is afraid to take a big shot and they all can seemingly hit from behind the arc and mid-range (Missy Repoli will destroy teams with 13-footers). The seniors also know that when it is time to step up, as guard Kate Wilverding showed against RBC. Freshman Michaela Mabrey also stood out defensively with long arms and good anticipation of the passing lanes on defense. SJV went on to rout Freehold, another Top 10 team, on Wednesday, so anyone short of Rumson, Colts Neck and Neptune looks like they will get their doors blown off by the Lancers right now.
• RBC is taking some lumps early, but it’s probably better to have these problems now than in tournament time. At least they still have time to get things corrected before the elimination games start coming. Rumson beat them soundly on Tuesday and the Bulldogs look like they are starting to round into their usual stellar form with Kate Miller leading the way. I’m interested to see how they do in their first Class A Central meeting with SJV.
• Quietly an important win by Manchester on Wednesday night over Jackson Liberty. The Lions were undefeated and looked like a prime contender to Manchester’s supremacy in Class B South, but the Hawks knocked them off convincingly, 64-47, behind Camille Valmon’s 20 points and 17 from forward Ariele Parrish.
• Keansburg is quietly off to a strong start and that was a good win against Point Beach in Class B Central earlier this week. Head coach Mike Scarano has helped this program continue to come back from the abyss to be a competitive squad that has the goods to qualify for the postseason.