New Jersey City 78, Stockton 74

Kevin Johnson

Boxscore
Richard Stockton (8-5, 2-2 NJAC) had their three-game winning streak broken as they dropped a close 78-74 contest to New Jersey City (6-6, 2-2 NJAC) in Stockton’s first game since January 4. Four Ospreys scored in double figures led by Pat Kelly (Cape May CH/Wildwood Catholic) with 19 points. Kelly hit five times from behind the arc during the game.

Freshman Kevin Johnson (Paulsboro/Paulsboro) netted a career-high 15 points, while teammates Nnamdi Usuwa (Colonia/Colonia) and DiAndre Brown (Sicklerville/Camden County Tech) added 14 and 10 points respectively. Brown was a perfect 3-3 from beyond the arc.

The Ospreys started off the game by taking a 15-8 lead as Kelly hit two three-pointers and Johnson added five early points. Stockton then fell behind as poor shooting and turnovers allowed New Jersey City to grab a 30-23 lead at the break. Stockton shot just 31.8 percent from the floor and committed 10 turnovers before intermission.

Stockton shot almost 60 percent in the second half, led by Kelly with 13 points after the break. The Ospreys fought back from a 32-23 deficit and tied the game at 44 with just less than 10 minutes remaining as Dave Williams (Pennsauken/Pennsauken) scored five points during a 7-1 spurt. The Gothic Knights answered with a 13-3 run and held the lead for the rest of the game to deal Stockton the 78-74 defeat.