OP faced off against the Raiders of Scotch Plains-Fanwood for the second time in under a week (and third time this season). Just last Saturday, OP narrowly topped SPF to clinch the UCC Mountain Division. This time, though, the two teams faced off in the UCC Tournament. The winner would earn a date with nationally-ranked Roselle Catholic.

The Rams got off to a hot start. Their full-court press against the Raiders led to many points of turnovers. Mike Pirone had two steals and 4 points in just the opening minute. Freshman Asher Bradley had a highlight-reel play, diving for a loose ball and flinging it behind his back to an open Greg Jones for a layup. At the end of the first quarter, OP had a 16-4 lead. The second quarter was much tighter. The Raiders were able to knock down some shots but still had a 15 point deficit going into halftime. The third quarter opened with a bang. Mike Pirone set a decoy, leaving Tommy Conniff unguarded under the rim. Asher Bradley hurled a one-handed pass to Conniff who slammed in a two-handed dunk. That was not the last of Conniff’s dunks. Junior Mike Pirone drove in for a layup and dropped a pass right into Conniff’s breadbasket for another easy slam. After a thunderous third quarter, OP held a 19 point lead with eight minutes to play. SPF applied a press in the fourth quarter that translated to multiple easy layups. But it was too little, too late for the Raiders. The Rams were able to hold on and win 63-43.

It was really a group effort from the Rams. Mike Pirone tallied 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 steals. Tommy Conniff had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. He also chipped in 5 assists and a block. Enzo Canali had 8 points and 3 rebounds. Freshman Asher Bradley also scored 8 points with 7 assists and 3 rebounds. Alex Werbaneth and Cristian Simms each added 4 points off the bench.

It was another very clean win for OP. The Rams moved to 15-5 on the year, but now is not the time to dwell on the past. Next for OP is #10 nationally ranked Roselle Catholic on Saturday, which features UNC commit Simeon Wilcher.