The Oratory Prep Rams basketball varsity basketball team’s season came to an end last Friday in a loss against Paramus Catholic in the first round of the Non Public A State Tournament. Although the Rams were seeded at #9, they still played tremendously hard to try to earn the win. The Rams tied the game at 60 a piece with only one minute left, after being down ten numerous times in the game. PC would go onto hit a deep three in the corner to go ahead by three, as OP would go down the court and not get a foul call when they needed one.
The season overall was a great success although they did not get any hardware to go along with it. They would go onto finish the season 16-10, the most wins they have gotten in three seasons. For a time they led the Mountain Division and came so close to winning it all, but fell just short to SPF by 3 twice and Rahway by 1. Some great wins included beating Delbarton and Summit at home in front of a packed house. Many times this season they had to face adversity in times where it was not needed at all. When the division was on the line Connor Lee was injured, Max Cook was injured to start the season, and Brandon played with two repaired knees all year long. Although it took effort to respond, these boys did it when it was most difficult. First year varsity point guard Ryan Fay was the leading scorer for the team, putting up 385 points showing a bright future for the program. Senior Max Cook was the captain and leader this team needed, having 101 assists and picking up two triple doubles. Another key mention were Brandon Lissade and Connor Lee who were first year varsity players, but filled their roles in a key way to help the team find success.
The seniors on this team in Max Cook, Henry Bolster, Julian Stauffer, Jack Olohan, Jalen Brogdon, and Sean McEvoy will be missed next season. All of these guys brought great energy to the gym night in and out as they played for one another and not for themselves. They were the epitome of great teammates and guys you would like in a program you are trying to grow to be a perennial top 20 team. Henry Bolster, Jack Olohan, and Jalen Brogdon did not see a lot of time last season but did a great job hitting clutch shots, grabbing rebounds, and playing scrappy defense in the minutes they got. Julian Stauffer was a great senior leader and role model for the younger guys in the program, and could take anyone on the team in any shape or form. These guys will be missed, but I know for sure that there is a bright future ahead for OP Rams basketball. With many young guys on JV and Varsity returning, they are viewed as having the ability to make a run at the Mountain Division title once again!
