Alex Mazzella's neck-whipping hustle play sparked Bergen Catholic's 15-1 run to overcome St. Peter's Prep in a heavyweight showdown between New Jersey's top programs.
Trailing St. Peter’s Prep — ranked No. 3 in the NJ.com Top 20 — by three points with two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter on Saturday, the pesky Bergen Catholic guard knocked the ball loose around mid-court.
Flailing his body towards the ball destined to bounce out of bounds, Mazzella stumbled and almost fell. But he heaved himself toward the ball with all his might.The BC junior’s neck whiplashed onto the hardwood as he corralled the basketball. Bergen Catholic’s bench wanted a timeout. The student section and the parents gestured for a Crusaders timeout. Even Mazzella wanted a timeout. But Mazzella didn’t call it. In one fluid motion, he turned his body and found Jaden Brown next to him, leaning towards the basket. Brown knocked in the layup to bring No. 2 Bergen Catholic within one point in the final 75 seconds.Mazzella stood up, received a round of applause, and jogged down the court as BC made a defensive stop. He knew Bergen Catholic was within reach of a historic victory in the Big Jersey Basketball championship bout at Caldwell University, one where both squads had the chance to amplify their bid as the No. 1 team in N.J.the Crusaders hung on for a 45-42 win over St. Peter’s Prep in a heavyweight bout of the two best programs in New Jersey“Man, this game was chaotic. We got punched in the face, but it forced us to keep fighting and remembering what we’re made of,” Mazzella said.Mazzella helped Bergen Catholic seal the win with a full-court inbound pass to Michigan State commit Julius Avent, who dropped in his fourth layup of the afternoon. Mazzella’s lone field goal of the game came in the fourth quarter on a 3-pointer to cut St. Peter’s Prep’s lead to 41-35.Bergen Catholic ended the game on a 15-1 run, which saw five points from Brown, four from Avent, three from Mazzella, and three from Sean Forbes. Brown led all scorers with 13 points total, bringing him to 981 for his career. The Marauders led by one point after one quarter after six lead changes in the opening frame. It was a chaotic but controlled effort between BC and SPP, but the Marauders were able to strike first behind seven points from Nick Ferdinand in the opening frame. BC’s Jahlil Owusu responded with six quick points to begin the second quarter on a pair of fadeaways and a layup. He finished with 10 points. Forbes finished with seven total points, including a free throw in the closing seconds to secure the 45-42 lead. Owen Wucherpfennig produced four hard-earned points, knocking in a pair of put-back layups for the Crusaders. St. Peter’s was led by 12 points from Rosa, headlined by a jump shot in the fourth quarter to give the Marauders an 11-point lead. Ferdinand finished with nine points, and Mason Santiago added seven. Oscar Martinez registered six, and Caden Post knocked in five. Though Saturday’s showdown was a game to remember for basketball fans, we may not have seen the last of Bergen Catholic and St. Peter’s facing off. With St. Peter’s now in the south division of the Non-Public A classification, Saturday’s game could have been an early peek into a state championship matchup.PJ Potter has been with the high school sports staff at NJ Advance Media since 2021. He covers baseball, girls volleyball and boys basketball throughout the year. He has an extensive background working in...
Hs-Tweet Section:/Highschoolsports
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Gavin Newsom roasted as photo of him posing with 'sugar daddy' Alex Soros goes viralToday's Video Headlines: 01/22/26
Read more »
Star transfer’s OT winner lifts No. 3 St. Joseph (Mont.) to thrilling county championshipNo. 3 St. Joseph (Mont.) won its second consecutive Bergen County championship.
Read more »
Who Is Alex Honnold’s Wife Sanni McCandless Honnold?Climber Alex Honnold has said he will celebrate scaling one of the world's tallest buildings by eating at its buffet with his wife.
Read more »
History of Bergen County Girls Basketball Tournament finalsA look at the history of the Bergen County girls basketball tournament
Read more »
Alex Honnold's ropeless climb of Taipei 101 skyscraper rescheduled due to weatherProfessional climber Alex Honnald's live-on-Netflix climb of Taipei 101 has been rescheduled due to weather, Netflix announced Friday night.
Read more »
Alex Honnold’s 101-story skyscraper climb delayed for 24 hoursBasic
Read more »