Team Jelly took down the OLPH seniors at Faith Hope and Charity gym for a chance to make a run for the playoffs. The two teams have a competitive history in CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) basketball. 

The OLPH  senior team had a record of 1-3 going into this game. But, looking to come out on top, Joey Pieracci said, “Our team took our last practice very seriously; we worked on a defensive strategy that would cover their sharpshooter Charlie Justkitis.” 

Team Jelly had a record of 3-2 leading up to this game. “We knew we had an opportunity to make the playoffs, but we had to win out. We weren’t very nervous for this game because we have seen this team play, and they are nothing special,” said player-coach Brady Moffit. 

 Entering the first half, Jelly got off to a hot start leading the OLPH seniors 15-4. OLPH had a difficult time guarding Charlie Justkistis and Gabe Gyorgy. Justkitis was shooting 60% from the three-point line during the first half.

OLPH called time out eight minutes into the first half to rally their team together and figure out a way to slow down Brady Moffit’s team. First, OLPH switched their defense from a two-three zone to a three-two zone. This gave them more protection from outside the arc. 

The change in the OLPH defense threw off Team Jelly. OLPH took this to their advantage and made an offensive charge. With two minutes left in the first half, the score was 30-24, Jelly leading. 

Jelly dominantly controlled the last two minutes of this half. After that, they started to control offensive and defensive rebounds. 

The score at the end of the first half was 40-29, led by Jelly. 

During halftime, player-coach Brady Moffit said, “We were thrown off by their defensive shift early in the half, but that left the paint wide open, and from then on out, we controlled offensive boards. I am very satisfied with how Charlie and Gabe played against their defense. They are still not scared to shoot the three-ball.  

Entering the second half Luke Collins for the OLPH team got aggressive from three and started to drive the ball. He was commanding their offense and forcing the team to pass more. With 10 minutes left in the game, they cut Jelly’s lead to four points; the score was 54-50. Charlie Justkitis continued his hot shooting the entire game, going 5 of 6 (83%) from the three-point line.

With five minutes left in the game, Brady Moffit called a timeout to give his players some rest. 

The OLPH team, only having a six-man roster, was exhausted with two minutes left in the game. They could not keep up with team Jelly and lost 68-60. 

Charlie Justkitis said, “I was thrilled with how our team played, and I am looking forward to the last playoff run of our CYO careers.”

However, the OLPH seniors went home sad, knowing their season would fall short after not having a chance to make the playoffs.