Last Friday, December 17th, the Varsity, JV, and Freshman basketball teams each faced off against Morris Catholic High School for their season openers. The air was electric as you entered the main gym while both teams warmed up in the minutes leading up to tip-off. The Madison Student Section – in their long awaited return to the court after the COVID-19 pandemic prevented them from attending games last season – created a complete “white-out” of over a quarter of the available stands, making their presence loud and clear. 

Right out of the gate, it would be Morris Catholic who set the tone of the match-up. Despite near constant noise from Madison’s student section, they scored the first two points of the night, followed by two pull-up 3s by #23, Marco Rostelli; prompting Head Coach Reel to take his first time out. The Dodgers would then put up a stiffer fight for the rest of the first quarter – breaking Morris Catholic’s full court press with ease and putting up 7 points, including a jump shot “and one” from Senior point guard Tommasso Maher. However, this renewed effort fell flat overall in comparison to the Morris Catholic Offense, who – utilizing their speed along with superior strength and height – finished the first quarter with a comfortable 12 point lead. 

From the first quarter, it became clear that victory against Morris Catholic would be far easier chanted from the stands then done. However, the Dodgers were far from ready to give up. In the first four minutes of the second quarter, repeated defensive stops, some well-executed team offense, and overall outhustling cut Morris Catholic’s lead to 7; prompting their own head coach to call his first timeout. Spirits were running high, especially when Morris Catholic’s first play after the timeout turned into an embarrassingly quick turnover. However, the Dodger’s fortunes for the rest of the 1st half would ultimately turn as Morris Catholic – employing a strict, fast, and intimidating man-to-man defense – largely stopped Madison’s offensive momentum. The first half would end with Morris Catholic firmly holding on to its lead with a score of 30 to 20. 

During halftime, I was able to listen in to the team huddle in the locker room; where Coach Reel briefly, yet impactfully, highlighted what the Dodgers needed to improve on if they were to win. Most of all, he stressed the importance of preventing Morris Catholic from getting offensive rebounds – something which had been almost assuring them points with every possession – and, with each stop, playing offense with aggression and confidence. “We need to get back in the game with stops and rebounds, okay? … We’re doing a great job offensively, cutting and getting action to the rim… we gotta play with more confidence here. We’re right there guys”. 

Heading into the 3rd quarter, both teams stumbled in their opening possessions, with poor communication leading to an almost immediate Madison turnover and Morris Catholic answering with an air-balled 3 point attempt. However, where Morris Catholic picked themselves up quickly, the Dodgers were slower to meet their needed pace. Reel again called time as Morris Catholic quickly created its largest lead yet of 15 points, but despite his best efforts to rally the team, the 3rd quarter would ultimately spell doom for any significant chance of an upset. Repeated turnovers and an overall failure by the Dodgers offensively to work as a team in order to break Morris Catholic’s tight man-to-man coverage caused them to stagnate at a time where they needed momentum more than ever; something which Morris Catholic eagerly took advantage of. While Madison’s defense fought valiantly, Morris Catholic simply had far too many opportunities to score; and by the end of the 3rd quarter, the point differential had become almost insurmountable with Morris Catholic leading by 23 points.

For much of the final quarter, victory for Morris Catholic appeared to be an assurance. However, despite this demoralizing reality, the Dodgers continuously fought in defiance to the very end. In the first four minutes of the fourth quarter Madison would draw 7 team fouls, quickly erasing the foul advantage Morris Catholic had enjoyed at the end of the 3rd quarter (Madison 7, Morris Catholic 1). Madison would make several defensive stops, and every drive would be contested by a host of defenders; forcing Morris Catholic to make much of their points from the free throw line. Madison’s offense would also put up 13 points, its highest amount in any one quarter. However, Morris Catholic would too remain uncompromising in their ability and execution, and they would even ultimately increase their lead by the time the game ended. The final score was 68 to 40, Morris Catholic. 

Such a defeat to the average attendee would seem embarrassing at best and inexcusable at worst, but a post-game interview with Coach Reel provided context that made the final result a far more hopeful one than what might first be assumed. “That was a really good team that we played, and we rely really heavily on scouting reports, and the first game is always tough to scout… this team was especially tough to scout since they had all new players”. Had he known more about the team, Reel said, he would’ve made different choices on both sides of the court, like preventing #23 from having open looks (he would end the game with 22 points, and 6 3-pointers). Beyond this, he highlighted what he was sure to work on, and expressed optimism going forward. “We really need to improve our defensive rotations – its been getting progressively better, but that’s one thing we really need to improve and we need to just take better care of the ball… all in all, there a lot of positives to take from this, this was one of the best teams in the county”.

In more positive news however, the JV and Freshman teams would see far greater success in their opening games. For JV, both sides would fight hard throughout; but Madison’s offensive and defensive prowess proved too fast and adept for the comparatively sluggish and disorganized Morris Catholic team to handle. Madison would end the game with 39 points to Morris Catholic’s 27, with the efforts of freshman Evan Colao, sophomore Marco Roselli, and junior Zach Taddeo being pivotal to the team’s success. The Freshman team won an even greater victory, with a final score of 45 to 27. 

Much is yet to be seen this season, and the Dodgers remain ever eager to make this season their most successful one yet. Madison has two more games this week, and it is important that we show out and support our basketball teams as best we can. Go Dodgers!