The Patriots hung on to finish victorious over the state ranked Warren Township Blue Devils on January 23rd, improving their record to 15-6. After tremendous offensive and defensive efforts alike, the Patriots went on to win 70-67 in overtime.
The Patriots offense could not back down: Jack Dabbs ’24 led the way with 31 points and six 3-pointers, and Aidan Bardic ’25 finished with 15 points including the layup to force overtime. Other notable athletes such as Armand Burris ’24 and Rocco Pagliocca ’26 helped secure the win for the Patriots.
Warren opened the scoring quickly after Jaxson Davis scored his first five points on a mid-range floater and a corner 3-pointer, making the score 5-2 early on. However, Stevenson instantly climbed back with 3-pointers made by Pagliocca and Atticus Richmond ’25, making the score 8-7, a back-and-forth trend common throughout the matchup.
Going into the second quarter, Davis went off for the Blue Devils, scoring 17 points alone in the quarter including some big 3-pointers against the tough Stevenson defense. Despite Dabbs pouring in 14 points in the second quarter and a final 3-pointer at the buzzer from Pagliocca, the Patriots trailed Warren 36-35 into halftime.
“We never want the game to be decided by someone wanting it more than us,” Dabbs said. “We want to work harder than them. We don’t want to get outplayed, and that’s what we thought all night.”
Opening the second half, Dabbs hit another three to regain possession of the lead early, a lead Stevenson would continue to hold on to the entire quarter. Thanks to more big 3-point shots from the Patriots, they headed into the fourth quarter with a 50-45 lead over the Blue Devils, keeping the showdown neck and neck.
After some missed opportunities in the fourth quarter, the Stevenson offense found themselves down again, trailing 57-59 with just over 30 seconds remaining in regulation. However after a crucial Dabbs steal and a contested layup from Bardic, the Patriots regained momentum and tied the game at 59 with 11 seconds left in the quarter.
Both offensives were held to a slow start to begin overtime as the score was knotted at 59 a piece for the opening minute-and-a-half of play. That was until Dabbs hit a statement 3-point shot, his sixth of the game, to finally put the Patriots back on top 62-59. Finally, after some contested free throws from both sides, the team closed out the game with a final score of 70-67, a great comeback win for the Patriots.
“That was probably our grittiest win of the season so far,” head coach Will Benson said. “We just wanted to be in striking distance in the fourth, and we were, and found a way to get it done.”
The Patriots have been thrown into back and forth situations all season, but this game was one of their most intense of the season thus far. Dabbs, who finished the game with 31 points, was successful on all ends of the court.
“Credits to all my teammates for giving me the ball and distributing it well among the team,” Dabbs said. “When everyone gets the ball, and we keep moving the ball, rather than going one-on-one, everyone benefits, and we saw that out there tonight.”