The Rematch. On January 3rd, Academy’s boys basketball team traveled to Newark Catholic and suffered a tough 9-point loss in double overtime to the previously unbeaten Green Wave. Ever since that loss, the team has had one game highlighted on its schedule. This past Friday, in a game senior Daniel Aronowitz described as “the biggest game of the year,” the Vikings prevailed with a 38-31 victory over rival Newark Catholic.
In an electric atmosphere created by the Academy Student-Section, the Newark fan base slowly grew silent. Eventually, all the momentum had swayed in Academy’s favor during a tough 4th quarter. Senior Jared Harris called on fans to be as loud as possible on Friday, and when it counted the most, the student body did not disappoint. The constant roars caused Newark Catholic to grow frustrated down the stretch as the Green Wave continued to turn the ball over.
In such a low scoring game, it was important for the Vikings to get easy buckets whenever they could. Aronowitz had 11 of his 15 points in the 4th quarter, which allowed Academy to pull away. Junior Bryce Bailey came off the bench and scored a pivotal 8 points.
The win on Friday kept Academy’s MSL League Championship hopes alive. Aiming to win the Mid-State League for the second year in a row. The Vikings now ascend to a record of (10-2) overall and (7-1) in the league.
Written by Lee Soloman’14
