The Utica boys basketball team pulled off a late game comeback against Newark Catholic, winning with a score of 72-68. The game took place at Newark Catholic High School on January 13.
After one quarter of play, Newark Catholic led by a point, the score being 15-14. However, in the second quarter, their offense picked up, and the teams went into the half with a score of 33-20. In the third quarter, junior Gavin Dugan netted four consecutive three pointers to begin Utica’s comeback. Going into the final frame, the teams were tied at forty-nine.
Hunter McKinney took over scoring in the fourth quarter to lead Utica to victory. The comeback was nothing short of a team effort, as the team put up twenty-nine points in the third and twenty-three in the fourth. McKinney led scoring for the Redskins, with twenty total points on the night. Not far behind was Gavin Dugan, who netted seventeen of his own.
Newark Catholic’s stand-out scorers were Wesley Stone, who had nineteen points, and Dylan Daube, who had sixteen.
Utica moves on to play at Heath on January 16 in their second game of a four-game away series.
Before this, the last game Utica had played against Newark Catholic also ended in a close victory. The win took place on February 11, 2025, at Newark Catholic.
