On Thursday, January 9, excitement stirred in the Frank J. Tracey Gymnasium, all across Coach Farrell Court. Basketball was finally back at The Prep and the Pirates were ready. Along with the players, Pirate Nation was decked in all white and was ready to go before the tip-off.

Right out of the gate, Seton Hall Prep was not messing around. The Pirates were capitalizing on forced turnover after forced turnover. Easy, open look shots were constantly available for the Pirates to cash in on. On a fastbreak, Giye Jenkins ’21 dealt a gorgeous pass to Mario Bollo ’20. Not only did Bollo hit the 3 in the left corner, but he was fouled as well! People in the parking lot could have heard the cheers from Pirate Nation.

At the end of the first quarter, the Pirates led the Mounties 20-4. It did not get any better for the Montclair men. The Pirates kept capitalizing on every opportunity that was given to them. However, the Pirates offense was not the only thing on display. SHP showcased their suffocating defense that troubled their adversaries. The Mounties’ frustration grew as time went on, since the Pirates showed no signs of taking their foot off the gas pedal.

The second quarter showed this, as the Pirates gave up a total of only 12 points in the first half. They headed into halftime with a more than comfortable lead of 34-12. Enough though the game seemed to be virtually over for the Mounties, they still came out of the gates with their energy revived. A new physicality that was absent in the first half was debuted. However, the Pirates countered this new tempo with their lockdown defense and their ability to always get the ball to the open man.

The third quarter horn echoed through the gym, as the Pirates were close to closing out this game. More than doubling the score of Montclair, the Pirates held on to the lead of 51-25. Now, the Pirates were safe enough to rest their core group of players. Although the main group for the Pirates got a break, the bench players still matched up against the Montclair starters phenomenally well.

As the final horn sounded, the Pirates got ready to joyfully sing the Alma Mater. The final score was a resounding 62-43 Pirate victory. Jenkins ’21 led the scoring with 16 points and Gary Hinds, Jr. ’20 was right behind him, totaling in at 11 points. Although the Pirates give many teams a challenge, their playstyle and aggressiveness is put on display whenever they play at home. With a rowdy Pirate Nation to back them up, Pirate Basketball is at its finest at home and is on display for anyone that loves to watch quality basketball.