Seton Hall Prep basketball’s season came to an end after a heartbreaking one point loss to Don Bosco. The team finished the season with a 23-4 record, and multiple championships: the Essex County regular-season title, the Essex County Championship, and the Husky Holiday Classic. The Pirates were awarded the three seed in the Non-Public A State Championship, due to their stellar regular season play. Coach Williams’s team was able to fly by Morristown Beard by thirty points in the first round thanks to the stellar play and eighteen point contribution by Jackson Bleecker ’23. The Prep continued to survive in the tournament after a 64-40 win against Paramus Catholic.

Seton Hall Prep’s opponent in the semifinal round was a familiar one, a team that Seton Hall Prep does not have a positive memory of this year. Earlier in the year, Don Bosco defeated the Pirates by thirty-five; however, that defeat four months ago was behind the Pirates, as they entered the game with confidence. The team displayed that confidence with their stellar defense in the first, allowing only six points and leading by two. The Pirates entered the 3rd quarter down one but could not stop the red-hot Ironmen offense. Down six heading into the fourth quarter, it seemed improbable to defeat Don Bosco as their slow pace dominated the clock. However, SHP did not stop fighting as Myles Thomason ’22 made a reverse layup with 3 seconds left, Don Bosco up by 1. Intelligently, the Pirates fouled Isiah Edmonds immediately, sending him to the foul line for 1-1. Edmonds’s foul shot was missed, and the Pirates pushed the ball up the court but missed a game-winning three as time expired. Don Bosco won 39-38.