Boys Varsity Basketball | 3/2/2023 6:23:00 AM

As soon as Union Catholic Coach Jim Reagan Jr. hoisted the glistening trophy over his head he was immediately mobbed by his players. Then the entire team ran into the stands to celebrate with the huge student body section that frantically cheered them on throughout the game.

The Vikings, ranked No. 20 in the state, had just defeated No. 15 ranked St. Joseph (Met.), 82-76, on Wednesday night to win the South Jersey, Non-Public A Championship at Lenape High School in Medford, and the players, coaches, and students were cherishing one the biggest victories in Union Catholic boys basketball history.

UC's victory, which avenged a 60-55 loss to St. Joseph (Met.) in January, gave the program its first sectional title in 36 years! The Vikings won their only other title in 1987 when they defeated Seton Hall Prep to capture the North Jersey, Non-Public A Championship. 

The red-hot Vikings (20-9 on the season) have now won 12 of 13 games and six straight since a 72-56 February 14 loss to Roselle Catholic, the No 1 team in the state, in the Union County  Tournament semifinal round.

Next up for Union Catholic is a showdown with St. Peter's Prep, the No. 3 ranked team in the state, in the State Non-Public A Championship on Friday at 5 p.m. at Jersey Mike's Arena at Rutgers University in Piscataway. St. Peter's Prep, who defeated Union Catholic, 62-45 on Jan. 7, advanced to the final with a 56-55 victory over Bergen Catholic in the North Jersey, Non-Public A final to improve to 27-4.  

UC will be seeking its second state title, having won their only championship on March 15, 1987 when UC Hall of Fame coach Neil Horne led the Vikings to a shocking 45-39 victory over No. 1 ranked Christian Brothers Academy at Brookdale College in Lincroft. On that same day on the same court, the UC girls, under Hall of Fame coach Kathy Matthews, won the Non-Public A tite with a 45-42 victory over McCorristin.    
  
UC earned its trip to Friday's state championship game by completely dominating St. Joseph (Met.).

Dynamic senior guard Chim Okeoma scored nine of his game-high 26 points in the opening quarter for UC to help the Vikings open a 26-13. Okeoma struck again at the end of the second quarter when he drained a long three-pointer as the buzzer sounded to give the Vikings a 40-26 lead. 

Union Catholic, which led by double digits nearly the entire second half and held a 24-point lead early in the fourth quarter, shot 68 percent from the floor and scored 48 points in the paint compared to 24 for St. Joseph.   

Okeoma, who is averaging 19.4 points per game, has been on fire in the state tournament, scoring 69 points in the last three games - road wins over Paul VI in overtme in the quarterfinals and top-seed Camden Catholic in the semis, and St. Joseph in the final.

"I'm so very happy to have helped the team win,'' said Okeoma, who also dished out eight assists and had three steals. "But it's the team, my teammates and everyone who came to support us.''

UC has a 12-1 record since Okeoma, a transfer from Plainfield, become eligible to play last month. 

"I just overcame so much this season, I'm just so grateful to be here," said Okeoma. "The coaches believed in me from the jump, they knew what I was capable of, put the ball in my hands and we're gonna win games."

Several players stuffed the stat sheet for the Vikings.
 
Three sophomores, AJ Altobelli (13), 6-foot-11 center Yaw Ansong (14), and 6-8 forward FK Muntari (11) combined for 38 points. Ansong energized the Viking fans with multiple rim-rocking dunks, an blocked two shots and altered many more. Junior Terrance Wood came off the bench to add 11 points and five offensive rebounds for the Vikings.. 
 
Muntari scored five points, Altobelli six, and Ansong four when the Vikings raced out their 13-point first quarter lead.    

"It was so huge to get a jump on them," Altobelli said, who also grabbed five rebounds, had five assists, and two steals. "Last time we played, we started off really, really slowly. We couldn't really build back the momentum that we needed. Today, we made sure there was an emphasis from on our coaches and our players to just kick them in their eyes, right from the start. We just kept it going from there."

Ansong also said how important it was to get a big lead.
   
"We didn't want it to be a close game where they have a chance to come back," Ansong said. "We had to you had to run out on real quick before they start hitting shots."

It's been a remarkable campaign for UC, and quite a journey for the Vikings, who have gone from 0-6 in 2021 and 4-21 in 2022 to 20 wins and a state championship this season.
     
"I think we are playing at an elite level right now," said Reagan, in his 21st season as head coach at his alma mater. "I felt we executed probably to the best level I've seen in my 21 years. Every kid in our program helped us win, whether it was preparation in practice, or on the court in the game. Our guards played very well, and I thought our bigs played well." 

Reagan also said the victory meant a lot to UC's legendary 1987 team, and has created a strong bond between the two championship teams.  

"I heard from Coach Horne before the game and he called me after,'' said Reagan, who now has 290 wins in his career. "He's such a class act. I think he's the best coach in the history of New Jersey high school basketball, so it was really nice to hear his words of encouragement. We know how legendary that 1987 season was, and now we are creating a legacy for our kids, which is really exciting. Some of the members of the '87 team were at the game, and they had tears in their eyes. To know that you're doing something for the good of the school, a place that we all love so dearly, there's nothing better.''