Sparta - At the beginning of the winter 2006 season, Pope John head coach Mark Young said that the Lions goals for his first season as head coach will be the same as they have always been, to win the conference. By handing defending champ Sparta their first loss of the year, Pope John went a long way to securing that goal. The Lions jumped out early and never looked back, hanging out to beat the Spartans 52-42. Sam Mushman scored a game-high 17 points for the Lions, who took a comfortable 24-11 lead into the half. J.P. McCabe scored 10 and Chad Bucur added nine points with 12 rebounds. The Lions took their second straight victory after their opening night loss to Hopatcong.