Sports
Morristown Boys Basketball Team Scores First Win of Season Against Parsippany Hills
Pisciotto and Mitchell put up big numbers as they lead the Colonials to victory against the Vikings.
The Morristown High School Colonials scored their first win of the season against the Parisppany Hills Vikings on Tuesday, Dec.21. Morristown proved to be the better team with a win of 91-62, improving their record to 1-1.
Coming off a tough loss against Mendham, the Colonials bounced back against the Vikings, who were seeking their second win of the season. The Colonials' athleticism, size and speed were too much to handle for a seemingly smaller Vikings team, as MHS gained, and maintained, a huge lead from beginning to end.
Top-scoring seniors included Marquis Mitchell and James Pisciotto.
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Pisciotto was Morristown's lead scorer (22-points, 5 assists) on the night, as he scored most of his points from long range. Making it look easy against the Vikings defense, he did major damage, especially in the first half, putting up 16 of his 22 points.
Mitchell was dominant from the start using both his height and athleticism to pick up the win. As a major presence in the paint, Mitchell (18 points, 3 blocks) scored easily against the physically smaller "big men" of Parsippany Hills, at times entertaining the crowd with shattering dunks.
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The scoring tandem of Mitchell and Pisciotto accounted for 32 of the team's 48 points in the first half. As they picked up heat early, the Colonials maintained the ferocity throughout the game, getting help from other key players along the way.
Senior Shawn Bell (11 points, 2 steals) came off the bench and displayed his energy by adding an extra spark to the Morristown offense. He managed to penetrate inside the paint time after time as he used his strength to drive the ball in against the Vikings.
The Colonials finished strong, despite hitting a few minor rough patches and miscues along the way. Head Coach Ricky Osborne, while grateful for his first win, said he was focused on preparing for the rest of the season.
"We got off to a slow start," Osborne said. "I think our defensive intensity is what turned the game around and kept it that way for us. So I'm very pleased with our defensive efforts tonight. I have a great group of guys that work hard for me at practice every single day, so I'm very excited for the rest of the season."
The Colonials hope to continue their success next at the Chatham Cougar Classic Tournament, beginning Monday, Dec. 27.
