On Tuesday, OP suffered a heartbreaking loss to Governor Livingston in 2 OT. Cranford, too, put up a disappointing performance in a double-digit loss to Summit on Thursday. Both teams entered DeGaeta Hall needing a win.

The first quarter was fairly low-scoring. Greg Jones and Mike Pirone converted on tough layups, giving OP a 10-8 lead after one frame. Points were hard to come by in the second quarter too. However, Cranford outscored OP 13-9 and brought with them a 21-19 lead into halftime. But the Cougars came out flat after the intermission. OP’s frenzied offense scored 23 points in the third quarter alone, all while holding Cranford to a measly 10. Carrying an 11-point lead into the final quarter, OP just had to stymie the opponent. And that they did. When the scoreboard, manned by Cranford native Mr. Cuddihy, hit double zeroes, OP won 54-42.

This part of the article could have just been copied and pasted from the previous ones because it was Greg Jones, Mike Pirone, and Tommy Conniff that led the way for OP. Tommy had 17 points, with two rim-shaking dunks, and tallied several blocks and rebounds.

Greg Jones chipped in 16 of his own, including a couple of clutch 3-pointers down the stretch. Pirone scored 10 points, along with a 3 ball, as well. Freshman Asher Bradley scored 8 points and Enzo Canali added 4.

In addition to the dominant performance on the court, it was an impressive showing from the Rowdies. Donning their best USA attire, their chants were loud and authoritative. It was another game with packed bleachers for them, as they will rest their voices before Saturday’s game at Summit.

OP’s next game is away vs Hillside on Tuesday (who OP topped 57-45 on 12/21) before a huge rivalry game at New Providence on Thursday.