Final top 20 Shore boys basketball team rankings of 2023-24 season

The championship games have been played and the trophies raised at midcourt, while milestones have been surpassed and legacies forged over the past three months.

In the final summation, it was an incredibly exciting high school boys basketball season at the Jersey Shore, as Shore Conference teams distinguished themselves on the hardwood locally, and around the state.

More: All-Shore 2024 boys basketball teams: Meet the first, second and third teams

What does that mean for the Asbury Park Press Top 20?

Here’s the final version for the 2023-24 season:

Rank (Preseason) Team (record)

1. (1) St. Rose (29-2)

In the end, the Purple Roses put together a season that ranks among the finest ever by a high school team from the Jersey Shore, winning the program’s first Shore Conference Tournament title, a section crown and the first NJSIAA Non-Public B championship in 47 years, going unbeaten against NJSIAA teams this season. It’s unfortunate the NJSIAA canceled the Tournament of Champions two years ago, because it would be great to have seen St. Rose against the likes of Don Bosco Prep, Camden and College Achieve Asbury Park.

2. (5) Manasquan (23-7)

What was supposed to be a rebuilding year with the departure of Darius Adams and the knee injury Ryan Frauenheim sustained over the summer was anything but, as Big Blue made it to its the Shore Conference Tournament final for the fifth straight year and won its fifth straight NJSIAA sectional championship. But it will always be the season of what might have been, had the referees not disallowed what was clearly a game-winning buzzer-beater by Griffin Linstra to upset Camden in the Group 2 semifinals, with Camden winning the Group 2 final easily.

3. (9) Rumson-Fair Haven (20-7)

For the first 30 minutes of the Central Group 2 final at Manasquan, it was the Bulldogs who were advancing, before Manasquan rallied to win over the final two minutes. But it was a strong finish to a solid season for the Bulldogs, who had a dominating win over Holmdel in the Central Group 2 semifinals, along with good wins over Red Bank and Red Bank Catholic.

4. (14) Holmdel (21-4)

It’s hard to knock a team whose only losses this season were to Manasquan twice, St. Rose and Rumson. The second Manasquan loss was in the Shore Conference semifinals, the loss to Rumson was in the Central Group 2 semifinals. Beyond that, the Hornets, led by a core group of seniors including Ben Kipnis, Nick Seeloch and James Vallillo, had some good wins, including against Toms River North, Freehold Borough and Central.

5. (4) Central (22-5)

The Golden Eagles had some good wins this season, including over Toms River North, Mainland at Central’s Jimmy V Showcase event and a 21-win Haddonfield team in the state playoffs. But for the third straight season it was Eastern ending their season, this time in the South Group 4 semifinals. They got picked off in the quarterfinals of the Shore Conference Tournament as the second seed, but did win the B South division title.

6. (2) CBA (18-7)

After an early-season loss to Red Bank, the Colts only other local losses came against St. Rose, twice, and Manasquan.  They let a huge opportunity slip away when Paul VI came to their Lincroft gym for a South Non-Public A semifinal and overcame a 13-point second half deficit to advance, with Paul VI reaching the Non-Public A final before losing to Don Bosco Prep. CBA was looked to reach the sectional final for the first time since 2015. But the Colts did win the A North division title and advanced to the Shore Conference semifinals, where they lost to Saint Rose.

7. (19) Freehold Borough (24-8)

For a team to reach an NJSIAA Group final is an accomplishment. Some years no area teams advance that far. It’s hard to do. Which is what made Freehold Borough’s Cinderella post-season run so inspiring, as the Colonials won their first sectional title in 51 years, besting top-seed Red Bank in the final for its third straight road upset. And they upset a Mainland team in the semifinals that had won 11 of its last 12 games. Freehold fell to defending champion Ramapo in the final. It was a dramatic turnaround for a team that was a 16-seed in the Shore Conference Tournament.

8. (13) Red Bank (21-5)

The Bucs won 13 more games than a year ago, with wins over CBA, Marlboro and Southern. They won the Shore Conference B North division title, its first outright division championship in 17 years. They were the top-seed in Central Group 3, losing to a red-hot Freehold Borough team in the final, and got picked off by Howell in the Round of 16 at the Shore Conference Tournament as a No. 4 seed. The Bucs were a good team from start to finish, and the best team they’ve had in quite some time.

9. (3) Toms River North (21-8)

When the Mariners knocked off Manasquan in the final of the WOBM Christmas Classic in December, it looked like they might be the second-best team at the Shore this season. And while they weren’t quite that, they were pretty darn good, topping 20 wins, securing the A South division title and eventually losing to Manasquan in overtime in the SCT quarterfinals. They played a good game at Lenape before falling, 62-59, to a team that reached the Group 4 final before losing to Elizabeth.

10. (8) Marlboro (17-9)

At their best, the Mustangs were very good, including wins over Central, Manalapan and Freehold Borough. It was the foundation for a solid season that saw them reach the Central Group 4 semifinals. They finished third in A North behind Manalapan and Howell, and won nine of their final 11 games.

11. (6) Red Bank Catholic (15-13)

The Caseys had their share of impressive wins, beating Rumson, Red Bank and Central. But few teams played as challenging a schedule as the Caseys, including non-conference games against St. Peter’s Prep, East Orange, Newark Collegiate, Seton Hall Prep and Northern Highlands. The season ended with a loss to Rutgers Prep in the South Non-Public A quarterfinals.

12. (16) Manalapan (17-11)

The Braves went to the sectional semifinals for the first time in 25 years, and had wins over Howell, Colts Neck, Middletown South and Jackson Memorial.

13. (11) Colts Neck (17-9)

The Cougars were another Freehold Regional School District team that was very competitive this season, beating Marlboro and Red Bank Catholic, but losing to Shore in the first round of the SCT.

14. (NR) Donovan Catholic (18-9)

It wasn’t the kind of finish the Griffins had hoped for, losing six straight against some very good teams, including game against CBA, Manalapan, Toms River North, Freehold Borough, Colts Neck and St. Augustine.

15. (20) Shore (19-9)

The Blue Devils have lost the last two Central Group 1 finals to charter schools, falling to Group 1 champ College Achieve Asbury Park this season. They knocked off Colts Neck in the SCT opening round.

16. (NR) Howell (17-11)

Howell equaled the program record for wins in a season and reached the SCT quarterfinals for just the second time ever.

17. (NR) Barnegat (17-10)

The Bengals pulled off some good wins against Southern, Toms River South and Millville, and then knocked off top-seeded Timber Creek in South Group 3 play.

18. (NR) Point Boro (17-10)

After getting bounced by St. John Vianney in the SCT opener, the Panthers won five straight before getting eliminated by Holmdel in the Central Group 2 quarterfinals.

19. (NR) St. John Vianney (13-14)

For a sub.-500 team, the Lancers played some good games, beating Freehold Borough, Shore, Point Boro, twice, while losing to College Achieve Asbury Park by just 14 points.

20. (NR) Henry Hudson (21-5)

It was a ground-breaking season for the Admirals, topping 20 wins and reaching the Central Group 1 semifinals.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Shore NJ boys basketball final Top 20 team rankings 2023-24