On Thursday, OP traveled down Springfield Ave to face New Providence. Fresh off a road victory versus Hillside, the Rams were vying for another win– this time against one of their biggest rivals.

The first quarter was an offensive frenzy. Asher Bradley and Mike Pirone drained 3’s left and right. At the end of the first 8 minutes, OP held a 20-16 lead. The offense did not let up in the second quarter either. Both teams tallied 16 points, with OP bringing a 36-32 lead into halftime. New Providence actually outscored the Rams in the third period, 21-20. But they could not keep it close in the 4th quarter. The Rams topped the Pioneers 16-7 in the final frame to win 72-61.

Senior Tommy Conniff scored 8 points and blocked 2 shots. But his best work was done on the boards. The Lehigh-bound forward gloved 17 rebounds. But it was Junior Mike Pirone that did it all for OP. Pirone scored 34 points (including 5 3-pointers), grabbed 4 rebounds, swiped 4 steals, and dished out 3 assists. Freshman Asher Bradley nailed three 3-balls en route to 15 points. Greg Jones also scored 11 points with 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Senior Alex Werbaneth secured 9 rebounds, with 4 points and 2 steals.

The Rams improved to 9-3 on the year. Their next game is against a top-notch opponent in Scotch Plains-Fanwood on Tuesday.