Christian Brothers Academy can light up the boys’ basketball scoreboard.
The Colts are 8-2 this winter. They are scoring 70 points per game and have broken 70 points seven times.
The two top scorers for CBA, center Josh Cohen and guard Stephen Braunstein, are averaging 22.6 and 17.8 points per contest, respectively.
The Colts also have a deep rotation of guards around those two players. They all can handle, drive and shoot from the outside.
It’s a strong group with a winning dynamic. Cohen can get his shot in the paint and open up space for teammates on the perimeter.
With so much talent and chemistry, CBA can compete in the Shore Conference Tournament and in the South Jersey, Non-Public A state tournament. But the Colts are a little worried about one potential weakness.
They lost for the first time this season, 63-62, on Jan. 7 against Freehold Township High School in Lincroft.
Christian Brothers scored consistently and led for most of the game. It just couldn’t get enough stops to pull away from the Patriots, which gave Freehold Township a chance to win at the end.
“Our defensive intensity wasn’t where it should be. Some of our senior leadership, including me, should have gotten us together a little more,” Cohen said. “But we learned, and that’s what you have to take out of losses.”
Christian Brothers played a zone defense for portions of that loss. The Colts normally play man to man. But they know they will have to play multiple defenses to win in the playoffs.
Guard Liam Kennedy of CBA said the team needs to improve on its zone principles.
“We were giving up a lot of shots that we don’t normally give up,” Kennedy said. “We weren’t talking enough. Guys weren’t making the right bumps.”
Kennedy and his teammates are capable of playing stout defense. They have held five opponents under 50 points. They even held Saint Thomas Aquinas High School, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to 28 points in a dominating victory, 73-28, on Dec. 23.
The Colts can slow down individual scorers. But Freehold Township presented a new challenge.
“They were more balanced,” Kennedy said.
Cohen and Kennedy are confident that CBA can learn to defend balanced teams.
“We just have to keep our head up, get to practice and move on,” Cohen said. “Our guards are great. All those guys are helping us out. We are going to learn from this and be fine.”
“Our team identity is more about defense,” Kennedy said. “We can limit people, rebound and talk more.”
No matter what happens on defense, CBA will be tough to stop on offense. That gave the Colts a chance in their loss to the Patriots. It will continue to give them a shot in future games, too.
But if CBA can improve defensively, it can potentially win postseason trophies.
“How we play defense will determine what we do. I think we can contend for (the Shore Conference’s) A North (Division) title, the conference title and the state title,” Cohen said. “But right now we’re just looking at what we have to do now.”
The Colts will get back on the court at home on Jan. 15 versus Freehold High School. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in Lincroft.
