VOTE: Week 6 Shore Conference Boys Basketball Player of the Week

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For the remainder of the 2022-23 season, Shore Sports Network will recognize the top boys basketball players in the Shore Conference each week. We will recognize the top player in each of the eight Shore Conference divisions, as well as two wild cards for 10 contestants per week.

This week's group is nominated for their performances during the week of Jan. 30 through Feb. 5. Read about this week's nominees and vote for the one that strikes you as the best pick for overall Player of the Week.

Vote in the poll at the end of the post once per hour until the poll closes on Thursday at 10 p.m.

Ocean County Sports Medicine Week 6 Players of the Week

Class A North Player of the Week

Malachi Harris, Freehold Twp.

Harris has been a steady presence at point guard position and with Patriots top scorer Jayden Holmes-Cotter out sick on Saturday, Harris stepped up for a career performance. The senior point guard pumped in a career-high 30 points to go with nine rebounds and four assists, capping another undefeated week for the Patriots.

Class A North Honorable Mention: Jayden Holmes-Cotter, Freehold Twp.; Justin Fuerbacher, CBA; Jake Buchman, Manalapan; Damien Padilla, Howell; Steve Scimone, Marlboro; D.J. Orloff, Howell; Alex Frank, Marlboro

Class A Central Player of the Week

Brian Tassey, Freehold Boro

After losing five straight, Freehold Boro has won three out of its last four and during a 2-1 week last week, Tassey was a standout for the Colonials. The sophomore averaged 16.7 points and 3.7 assists in the three games, including 18 points in a win over Matawan and 19 in a win over Pinelands. In the 58-54 win over Matawan – a team that advanced in the Shore Conference Tournament Tuesday night – Tassey went a perfect 12-for-12 from the free-throw line to help secure the win.

Class A Central Honorable Mention: Chauncey Brown, Matawan; Ben Kipnis, Holmdel; Jack O’Leary, Raritan; Jack Coleman, Raritan; Christian DiGiso, Freehold Twp.

Class A South Player of the Week

Charlie Meglio, Jackson Memorial

Meglio started the season injured and through his first nine games following his return, the Campbell University baseball commit was averaging just under 4.5 points per game. Then, last week happened. Meglio returned to form with at least 17 in Jackson Memorial’s three wins before the Jaguars ran into a buzzsaw in Bishop Walsh from Maryland on Saturday. In the wins over Brick Memorial, Manalapan and Holmdel, Meglio averaged 17.3 points 9.3 rebounds, sparked by a breakout performance against Brick Memorial in which he put up 18 points and 11 boards.

Class A South Honorable Mention: Micah Ford, Toms River North; Jason McKelvey, Toms River East; Samir Padilla, Jackson Memorial; Respect Tyleek, Jackson Memorial; Keith Adame, Jackson Memorial; Delani Hyde, Toms River North; Owen Baker, Toms River North; Tom Menegus, Southern; Dorian Alston, Brick Memorial; Jordan Jones, Toms River South; Josh Michigan, Brick Memorial

Class B North Player of the Week

Jason Quardt, Middletown North

Middletown North has struggled to rack up wins due to its inexperience coming into the season, as well as a difficult division. The Lions are supposed to be the “easy win” at 0-10 in the division, but five of their 10 division losses are by a margin of five points or fewer. No matter how you spin the season, Quardt has been a bright spot for the Lions and last week, the junior guard led the Lions in scoring in losses to Rumson-Fair Haven and Ocean. After pouring in 16 against Rumson, Quardt went off for 30 – exceeding his previous career-high by 10 points.

Class B North Honorable Mention: Pat Brown, Middletown South; Ryan Prior, Red Bank Catholic; Tyler Burnham, Red Bank Catholic; Sean Saxton, Red Bank Catholic; Dylan Csik, Middletown South; Vova Trotsko; Luke Schorr, Rumson-Fair Haven; Nick Valentino, Red Bank

Class B Central Player of the Week

Jax Ross, Henry Hudson

Henry Hudson went down swinging against division co-champ Point Beach to start last week – a game the Admirals had to win to qualify for the Shore Conference Tournament. Ross was at the heart of that, with the senior pouring in 34 points in the 83-71 Henry Hudson loss to the Garnet Gulls.

Class B Central Honorable Mention: Max Judson, Keyport; Kevin Burns, Point Beach; Mike Alonso, Keansburg; Jack Fitzpatrick, Henry Hudson

Class B South Player of the Week

Cole Toddings, Barnegat

The Bengals have won four in a row and are 9-5 in since starting the season 1-7 – an understandable growth schedule for a team made up of sophomores and juniors. One of those sophomores is Toddings, who has become a dependable source of production. Last week, Toddings averaged 15.25 points and eight rebounds, including double-doubles against Central (11 points, 10 rebounds) and Pennsauken Tech (18 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, six steals), as well as a career-high 23 points in a win over Absegami.

Class B South Honorable Mention: Miles Chevalier, Central; Troy Buxton, Lacey; Jayden Johnson, Brick; Jaycen Santucci, Central; Jamari Smith, Barnegat; Alex Jenkoski, Brick; Aidan Lunn, Manchester

Class C North Player of the Week

Isaac Hester, Ranney

Ranney rode into the Shore Conference Tournament with three wins last week and Hester was outstanding, as usual. He started it off with 25 points, nine rebounds, five assists and five steals as Ranney avenged an earlier loss to Neptune. He then put up 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists in a win over Matawan, then closed the week with 17 points in a 59-45 Panthers victory over Brick Memorial.

Class C North Honorable Mention: Darius Adams, Manasquan; Matt Hodge, St. Rose; Chris Herrman, Point Boro; Matt Eisenberg, Wall; Stephen Mellett, Point Boro; Bo Pepe, Wall; Tom Eckberg, Wall

Class C South Player of the Week

Alex George, Shore

Shore came up just short of a Class C South championship by losing to Ocean at home, but did not lose their fight. George poured in 20 points in that 53-47 loss to Ocean that officially knocked the Blue Devils out of the running for a division title, then came back with 16 in a win at Donovan Catholic that spoiled the Griffins’ chance at sharing the division title. The junior guard closed the week with eight points in a win over Asbury Park, passing the spotlight to his senior teammates on Senior Day.

Class C South Honorable Mention: Brandon Loughlin, Ocean; T.J. Thomasson, Monmouth; Zayier Dean, Ocean; Ron Richardson, Ocean

Wild Cards

Micah Ford, Toms River North

Toms River North banked three more wins last week, including a win over Southern that clinched the Class A South championship for the Mariners. Ford scored 22 in that win over the Rams and followed it up with 14 points at Keyport and 20 points in a win over Lacey that was one-sided and got close in the final five minutes.

Miles Chevalier, Central

Chevalier is back among the nominees for Player of the Week after several more huge performances – one of which was record-setting. The junior tied a school record with eight three-pointers on the way to 30 points in Central’s win over Barnegat that clinched the Golden Eagles a share of the Class B South title. He then put up 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists in an important win over Brick Memorial and closed the week with 25 points and 12 rebounds in a win over Manalapan that effectively landed Central the No. 12 seed in the Shore Conference Tournament after it began the week fighting just to get a home game.