On January 25th, Oratory Prep’s JV Basketball team suited up to take on Delbarton at home. On the varsity end, this matchup is always close and competitive, resulting in some classic games over the past few seasons. The JV squad came in to prove that OP was the superior team on all three levels.
Jonah Bradley, Will Timbie, James Kostka, Eric DeVomecourt, and Zach Owens started the game for the Rams. While they were slightly undersized, their hustle and competitiveness made up for it. Jonah Bradley and James Kostka did most of the ball handling for the Rams, dishing to Zach Owens and Eric Devomcout down low. The first quarter was a back-and-forth battle between teams as they each exchanged shots back and forth. This quarter concluded with the Rams trailing close behind 7-11. Early in the second quarter, Delbarton got ahead due to the Rams turnovers, which was a major problem for them throughout this game. The Green Wave then hit two major threes putting them up 7-17. However, the Rams battled back with some free throws and transition layups from Zach Owen’s. The half ended with the Rams trailing 14-22.
The team went into the locker room to regroup and make the proper adjustments for the second half. The Rams knew that they would have to take care of the ball in order to walk away with a win. The Green Wave came out of the half firing, knocking down a few more threes. Coach Muoio called a timeout to slow their momentum and regroup the team. Coming out of the timeout, Jonah Bradley put a stop to their run with an important layup in transition. This gave the Rams momentum to get stops and score on the offensive end. This made the score 20-38. Delbarton began playing sloppy, committing more fouls which gave the Rams possession and opportunities to cut the lead. Freshman Will Timbie and James Kostka both knocked down free throws making the score 23-40. The Rams battled back with Jonah Bradley hitting a timely three followed by two James Kosta free throws and a layup to cut the lead to 12. The Rams ramped up their defensive effort, getting a few crucial stops. Owens hit a huge layup to cut the lead to 10 with 2:45 remaining in the fourth. While the guys got stops, they were unable to capitalize on the offensive end. The Rams began fouling with 1:45 to play and lost 38-46. While the Rams fell short, if they clean up some minor issues they have a chance for more success down the line.
