On January 15, 2026, the Oratory Prep Rams took on the Cranford Cougars. Cranford came in with a 7-4 record and was 5-0 in their division. They are in the UCC Valley, the lowest of the three divisions, while the Rams play in the Mountain Division, which is in the middle. Oratory was coming off a tough loss against Union, the division leaders, and had been right in the game with them.
In the first quarter, the Rowdies were loud and present, standing up and taking over the gym. The Rams came out with great defense, and Cranford didn’t score until two minutes and thirty seconds remained in the quarter. The first quarter ended with Marcus Johnson hitting free throws to bring the score to 13-4. The Rams’ defense was on full display.
Oratory didn’t score for the first three and a half minutes of the second quarter, which allowed Cranford to slowly crawl back into the game. With a minute and thirty seconds left, the Cougars had cut the lead to just three points. However, the Rams hit a big bucket to go into halftime up by five.
Early in the third, the Rams went up by nine just two minutes in. A Cranford three-pointer and a layup cut the lead to four, but after some Ryan Fay free throws, Oratory went back up by 10 at 31-21. The Rams ended the quarter leading 35-27.
In the fourth quarter, the Rams held a 7–8 point lead for the first four minutes. Cranford cut it to five, but Ryan Fay hit a huge three-pointer. On the next defensive possession, Dragone stole the ball and scored an and-one, putting Oratory back up by 10 points with about three minutes left. With one minute and fifty-three seconds remaining, the Rams were still up by eight. A Cranford fan was ejected for arguing with the referee, swinging the momentum in Oratory’s favor. From there, the game was essentially over. Cranford tried to trap the Rams, but Oratory managed easy layups. The final score was 58-50.
The notes from the game were very positive. The Rams shut down Cranford’s offense and had a great team showing. Mueller, Lee, and Fay all scored in double digits, and Dragone added nine points. The Rowdies were loud and energetic throughout the game. Overall, the Rams improved to 7-5 and have some big games ahead. Their next matchup is against Summit—a must-win game.
