Rams Earn Road Win Over Delbarton

OP was fresh off its Senior Night win over Glen Ridge entering Thursday. But they had a much bigger task on their hands: a trip to Morristown to face Delbarton. Delbarton, 13-8, has had the Rams’ number over the past few years, but Daugherty was looking to erase that with a win.

The Rams started off hot, jumping out to a quick 6-0 lead. Jones, Canali, and Conniff each converted on 0 footers to give the Rams the advantage. Alex Werbaneth checked into the game for Canali and quickly nailed a 3-pointer. At the end of the first period, the Rams had a 21-12 lead. The Green Wave outscored OP in the second period, cutting their deficit to 7 points at halftime. Out of the break, the Rams went on a scoring run. Bradley, Jones, and Pirone connected on their shots, giving OP a comfortable– or so it seemed– 51-38 lead headed into the final period. Delbarton nailed several 3’s to make it a 10-point game with 3:53 to play. The Wave kept up the pressure, making an and-one, cutting the Rams’ lead to 5 with 15 seconds left. After they converted on two free throws to cut the deficit to three, Mike Pirone was fouled with 7 seconds left. The junior missed on his first attempt, but made his second, securing a 4 point advantage (and making it a two-possession game). Delbarton hurried down the floor and converted on a layup as time expired, but it was too little, too late. OP held on 64-62.

The Rams were backed by an impressive showing of Rowdies. One could argue it felt like a home game for OP. Raucous fans packed the bleachers across from their bench. Compared to the opponent’s student section, it was a no contest. The Rowdies were louder, more enthusiastic, and filled more of the bleachers.

Greg Jones led the way for OP. The junior notched 21 points, including a couple of clutch free throws down the stretch. Mike Pirone scored 13 points, including the game-icing free throw. Along with his stellar ball-handling, Asher Bradley tallied 10 points. Conniff and Canali had 9 points and 8 points respectively.

The Rams moved to 17-6 on the year. Next up for OP is St. Joseph’s (Montvale) at 6 PM on 3/2 at DeGaeta Hall.