Stockton 54, Catholic 53

Kai Massaquoi

Boxscore
Richard Stockton (5-3) took the lead for good in the final minute and held on to defeat Catholic University (7-2) 54-53 in the Ospreys’ final game before a two-week holiday layoff. Kai Massaquoi (Lawnside/Haddon Hts.) played a strong all-around game, finishing with 14 points plus team highs of seven rebounds and seven assists.

Pat Kelly (Cape May CH/Wildwood Catholic) hit four three-pointers and totaled 14 points in the game. The low-scoring contest featured 14 lead changes and 10 ties. Both teams struggled at the line as Catholic went 12-21 (57.1%) but outdid Stockton, which hit just nine of 19 attempts (47.4%).

Colin Horsch (Monroe Twp./Atlantic Christian) sank a three-pointer with 40 seconds left that snapped the 10th tie of the game and gave Stockton a 54-51 lead. The Ospreys survived to post the 54-53 win as Catholic grabbed five offensive rebounds but went 0-4 from the field, including a missed jumper as time expired, and 2-4 at the free throw line in the final 31 ticks.

Stockton built a five-point cushion at 32-27 that was the largest for either team in the game after Massaquoi capped a 6-1 spurt with a jumper at the 12:23 mark of the second half. The last nine minutes of the close matchup included four more lead changes and four more ties before Horsch hit the clutch three-pointer that proved to be the difference.

The largest margin of the first half was only four points as the teams repeatedly exchanged baskets and the lead. Kelly sandwiched two treys around a Catholic basket to give Stockton its biggest edge of the period at 21-17 before the Cardinals netted the final four points of the half for a 21-21 tie. Kelly scored 11 first-half points and Mike Pendleton (Pennsauken/Pennsauken) tossed in five markers.