Here are the Shore high school boys basketball games to watch

The Shore Conference boys' basketball season gets off to a flying start Thursday night, part of an early-season schedule featuring plenty of intriguing matchups.

St. Rose, No. 1 in the Asbury Park Press Preseason Top 20, takes on the Patrick School at 6:30 p.m. on opening night in a game featuring two of the top teams in the state, while providing a stringent early-season home test for the Purple Roses, who lost to Roselle Catholic in last season’s Non-Public B championship game.

But that’s not all on the first night of the season.

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No. 6 Red Bank Catholic hosts No. 10 Matawan at 6:45 p.m. in a non-divisional test. The two teams return most players a year ago, when RBC won a late-season meeting, 58-50, as Tyler Burnham and Colin Cavanaugh each scored 17 points.

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Here's a few more interesting games over the first week of the season.

No. 2 CBA at No. 9 Rumson-Fair Haven at 6:45 p.m. on Monday is a North crossover game, part of the new Shore Conference scheduling model that can provide more interesting games like this one with divisional crossover games.

No. 5 Manasquan, the reigning Group 3 champions, hosts College Achieve Asbury Park at 5:15 p.m. next Friday. College Achieve is a charter school now coached by former Roselle Catholic coach Dave Boff, who won four NJSIAA Tournament of Champions titles. His roster is already well stocked as the program ramps up quickly, while Manasquan will move forward without their top two players from that team, with Darius Adams transferring and Ryan Frauenheim out with a knee injury.

Here is the schedule for Shore Conference boys' basketball teams prior to the start of the holiday tournaments. And be sure to check back for the games and times when they are announced.

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Thurs., Dec. 14

Toms River East at Shore (4 p.m.)

Thomas Edison Charter at Asbury Park (4:15)

Colts Neck at Rahway (4:30)

Brick Memorial at Middletown North (5:15)

Jackson Memorial at Ranney (5:30)

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Henry Hudson at Perth Amboy Tech (5:30)

Brick at Point Beach (6:30)

Howell at Neptune (6:30)

Pinelands at Lakewood (6:30)

Donovan Catholic at Manchester (6:30)

Marlboro at Central (6:30)

Raritan at Monmouth (6:30)

Lacey at Point Boro (6:30)

Jackson Liberty at Barnegat (6:30)

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Patrick School at St. Rose (6:30)

Matawan at Red Bank Catholic (6:45)

Southern at Red Bank (6:45)

Middletown South at Holmdel (7)

Fri., Dec. 15

Asbury Park at Barnegat (5 p.m.)

Manalapan at Wall (5:30)

Long Branch at Ocean (5:30)

Academy Charter at Keansburg (5:30)

St. John Vianney at New Dorp (N.Y.) (6:30)

Lakewood at Toms River South (6:30)

Freehold Twp. at Freehold Boro (7)

Sat., Dec. 16

Brick at Howell (11:30 a.m.)

Manchester at Shore (11:30)

Toms River North at Neptune (11:30)

Jackson Liberty at Toms River East (12 p.m.)

Keyport at Calvary Christian (12 p.m.)

University Charter at Henry Hudson (12:30)

Matawan at Brick Memorial (1)

Raritan at Middletown North (1)

Middletown South at Steinert (1)

Bernards at Point Boro (1)

People’s Prep at Rumson-Fair Haven (1)

Pinelands at Point Beach (1)

Red Bank at Manasquan (1)

Atlantic Tech at Southern (1)

Central at Lawrence (1)

South Shore (N.Y.) at St. Rose (6)

Mon., Dec. 18

Red Bank at Marlboro (5:15)

Middletown North at Freehold Twp. (5:30)

Long Branch at Ranney (5:30)

Urban Leadership Academy at Lakewood (5:30)

Neptune at Freehold Boro (5:30)

TR North at TR South (6:30)

Jackson Memorial at Lacey (6:30)

Holmdel at Manasquan (6:30)

Point Boro at St. Rose (6:30)

Wall at Raritan (6:30)

CBA at Rumson-Fair Haven (6:45)

Manalapan at Middletown South (6:45)

Asbury Park at Sayreville (7)

Tues., Dec. 19

Asbury Park at New Brunswick (4:30 p.m.)

Howell at Jackson Memorial (5:15)

Keansburg at Monmouth (5:15)

Shore at Henry Hudson (5:30)

Ocean at Keyport (5:30)

Point Beach at Lakewood (5:30)

Red Bank Catholic at Colts Neck (5:30)

Brick Memorial at Toms River North (6:30)

Barnegat at Manchester (6:30)

Brick at Toms River East (6:30)

Central at Southern (6:30)

Jackson Liberty at Donovan Catholic (6:30)

Toms River South at Pinelands (6:30)

St. John Vianney at Matawan (6:45)

Wed., Dec. 20

Ocean at Neptune (5:15)

Freehold Twp. at Jackson Liberty (5:15)

Henry Hudson at Somerset Tech (5:30)

CJ College Prep at Shore (6:30)

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Thurs., Dec. 21

Holmdel at Neptune (3:45 p.m.)

Middletown South at Howell (4)

Lakewood at Asbury Park (4)

Colts Neck at Marlboro (5:15)

Jackson Memorial at Brick (5:15)

Point Beach at Monmouth (5:30)

St. Rose at Freehold Boro (5:30)

Ranney at Matawan (5:30)

Urban Leadership Academy at Keansburg (6)

Central at Barnegat (6:30)

Wall at Point Boro (6:30)

Long Branch at Manasquan (6:30)

Manchester at Toms River East (6:30)

Pinelands at Toms River North (6:30)

Toms River South at Lacey (6:30)

Middletown North at RBC (6:45)

CBA at Red Bank (6:45)

Manalapan at Rumson-Fair Haven (6:45)

Raritan at St. John Vianney (6:45)

Southern at Brick Memorial (6:45)

Fri., Dec. 22

Keansburg at Shore (2)

Manchester at Manalapan (3:30)

Donovan Catholic at Henry Hudson (4)

Barnegat at Rumson-Fair Haven (4)

Middletown North at North Hunterdon (5)

College Achieve Asbury Park at Manasquan (5:15)

Ocean at Jackson Liberty (5:15)

Sat., Dec. 23

Freehold Twp. at Summit (11:30 a.m.)

Red Bank Catholic at Donovan Catholic (12 p.m.)

St. Rose at Rutgers Prep (2)

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Jersey Shore boys basketball early season schedule