Gloucester Catholic's Jack Mustaro (22) shoots the ball during the basketball game against Glassboro played at Gloucester Catholic High School in Gloucester City, New Jersey on Wednesday, December 18, 2024. Tommy Maxwell/D2 Sports Network
GLOUCESTER CITY - As the clock ticked down on the clock counting down until the season's first game, the Gloucester Catholic High School boys basketball team was eager to get the season underway.
The Rams overcame their early jitters and came out with a key win over Glassboro, 50-40, in a Tri-County Conference crossover matchup.
Gloucester Catholic's senior leader Jack Mustaro picked up where he left off lighting up the stat sheet. Mustaro poured in a game-high 33 points, 23 of which came in the second half, and snagged a dozen rebounds. In the three seasons prior, the senior accumulated 1,204 points heading into his swan song season.
The first half started and ended in favor of Glassboro highlighted by a pair of Hakim Teresea three-pointers and a pair of baskets by Aiden Davis.
As the final buzzer of the first half sounded, Mustaro and a Glassboro player got into a harmless dust-up before both squads headed to their respective locker rooms. The heat of the moment fired up Mustaro and the rest of the parochial program.
To start the third quarter, the senior came out scorching knocking down a quartet of triples and four free-throws, scoring 16 of the team's 17 third-quarter points.
Heading into the final period of play up five points, Mustaro poured in seven points including a James Harden-esque step-back three-pointer that helped keep Glassboro at bay, and the Rams in front. Carlos Mendez pitched in key late-game defense while freshman duo Ben Cook and Gary Connelly, Jr. supported the cause offensively with two points each to secure the season-opening win.
With a game under its belt, Glassboro posed a true threat to Gloucester Catholic in the host's first game of the season. Also, with a roster consisting primarily of players from Glassboro's state championship football team, Gloucester Catholic knew it had a large task ahead of it athletically. The younger players answered the call and played a key part in the victory.
"This was a really good win for not just us, but more specifically the younger guys," Mustaro said. "Most of that team just won a football state championship and they're also really good at basketball. The underclassmen stepped up tonight and held their own which is a good sign for us moving forward."
The slate ahead for Gloucester Catholic proves to be a difficult one including the likes of Cherokee, Shipley (PA), and Overbrook all before the new year. Getting a win in the season opener is just the benchmark for Brandon Dougherty's unit.
"I think we saw what we were capable of doing tonight," Dougherty said. "It's early in the season so I saw some things I liked and didn't so we'll fix that moving forward."
"I threw a new defense at the guys that we hardly practiced but I think they adjusted to it quickly which is good. We've got a tough road ahead of us after tonight so we'll get back to work and make the adjustments needed for the next couple of games."
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