On Monday night, International Prep at Grover Cleveland visited the Marauders and quickly pressed them into some turnovers.  But then the ninth ranked large school started getting in the zone and Grover couldn't get them out of it.

St. Joe's clogged the middle with a zone defense and pounded the glass against the top ranked small school in WNY, defeating the Presidents, 57-49.   The Marauder 'D' forced Grover into taking long three-point attempts and broke up several passes to the paint.   The defensive energy also seemed to be a remedy for a team that was looking to take better care of the ball. 

Grover looked good in the early going, getting 3-pointers from Chris Holland and Dartwon Brooks, and a strong dunk by Kadeem Hillman off a missed shot.  The Presidents lead 11-6 with 3:12 left in the first quarter, when Marauder coach Mark Simon subbed Chad Kelly, Jake Spitler, and Steve Moser into the game to join starters Connor Rehbaum and Reggie Agbeko.  The change in the lineup jump started the zone defense, which immediately put the clamps on the Presidents offensively and began making things happen for the Marauders in transition.  St. Joe's went on a 19-2 run that included scoring from all five on the floor. 

By halftime, the Marauders were out in front 32-17.   A bucket from Kelly to open the third gave St. Joe's its largest lead of the game, but Holland scored six points during an 8-0 run that quickly cut the deficit back under double-digits.  Following a timeout, the Marauders were able to build their lead back up to 17 points early in the fourth quarter, as  Agbeko and Spitler combined for 13 points during that stretch.

The Presidents made one last push and were able to get within six points, before a three-point play on a drive from Agbeko sealed Grover's fate.   To their credit, the Presidents kept rallying late and refused to take the loss lying down.  It was a much improved team from the one that took the court at Daemen in the end of November.

Rehbaum and Agbeko shared game-high honors with 16 points each, while Kelly and Spitler scored eight points apiece.  Agbeko also ripped 14 boards and blocked nine shots.

Holland lead Grover with 15 points, while Brooks added 11, and Hillman scored nine points.

-centercourt