(Cam Dunning gets to the rack for St. Mary's / Photo by Harry Scull)

 

Nonleague games give fans a chance to see different matchups and are great for sorting out poll debates.  For the players & coaches, nonleague games offer a chance to play against teams with differing styles, where the ultimate goal should be wanting to improve as a team and selecting matchups that will assist that process.  Despite a lopsided result from last night's game that was barely competitive for a quarter, I think both teams got exactly what they needed from the contest, and both should only benefit moving forward.

 

Before a standing room only crowd at St. Mary's on Wednesday night, Takal Molson scored 25 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, and dropped a pair of dunks within seconds to lead the Lancers to a 68-37 rout of visiting Health Sciences.  St. Mary's improves to 9-1 on the season and will undoubtedly be moving up in the small school poll, while the Falcons,who came in as the #2 ranked small school, slip to 8-2 on the season.

 

What looked like a great game on paper appeared to be that way on the court as well in the opening minutes, as a one-point game showed on the scoreboard nearly seven minutes in.  But a 3-pointer from Molson to finish the opening quarter turned out to be the start of a staggering blitz that was about to unfold in the second quarter.

 

The Lancers went on a 30-2 run to completely bury the Falcons before the teams even ran to the locker rooms for the intermission.  St. Mary's allowed just two points in the second quarter and registered the final 19 points of the half – unanswered.  Seven different Lancers scored during the surge, with points coming on a combination of transition points, finely executed offensive sets, and those two #BOOMS from Molson – which only fed into the momentum train the Lancers were riding on.  Molson's first flush caused me to let out an audible "whoa", as the senior rose up to snag a miss and put it back down with two-handed authority in one swift motion.  Seconds later, he was alone in the open court again and bent the rim a second time for an encore.

 

St. Mary's collapsed defensively while Health Sciences took the bait and forced up quick, low-percentage shots.  When the Falcons weren't chucking up a shot too soon, they were charging into the lane with the ball, in a hurry to get no where.  Health Sciences showed a complete lack of patience offensively and found out first hand how much harder it is to defend when you give the other team a chance to get out in transition and a whole lot of momentum.

 

 "We got out and we ran a little bit tonight — the guys came out with some energy and I wish they would do that every game," St. Mary's coach Paul Rath said.  "We collapsed a little bit on our defense and we got some stops and we were limiting them to one shot and until they were going to make a couple jumpers, we were going to be happy with that."

 

While Rath was beyond pleased with his team's effort and performance, he was quick to give his players all the credit for their play as a team and even for the gameplan devised to stop the Falcons.

 

"Takal & Cam Dunning gave us the game plan," Rath said.  "We gave up nine points in the first half and I told them, that's the best defensive effort I've been around in a long time."

 

As a player I've now covered and watched for three seasons, Molson never looked better to me than last night.  It wasn't his career-high in points last night.  It didn't need to be.  It was the fact that he took ownership in helping with the game plan and then conducted himself as a complete leader on the court.  He had his teammates ready to play, both mentally and emotionally, the mark of a captain.  He's always had unquestionable talent, but the maturity that's taking place is what will carry his team to success.  If Molson is all in – bringing energy from the start, taking pride in his defense, and sharing the ball – you can bet his teammates will follow suit, and that's a scary thought for opponents of this talented group.

 

 "He's a complete player – he wants the ball, but he's learning to play without it which is making him that much more effective for us," said Rath.

 

Something Rath and I have talked about several times over the past couple years is which St. Mary's is taking the court.  When the Lancers are on, they are special.  Having a special player helps that immensely.  But the trap I've seen that team fall into too many times is expecting their talent to be enough.  Last night, the Lancers didn't expect anything – they earned that win because the right team took the court.  I believe St. Mary's will benefit from last night's win because it appeared the light finally went on with the players – they game planned, brought the right energy, and then executed.  

 

"They made things look easy, but it really wasn't easy," Rath said.  "Health Sciences is a good team and we just brought our 'A' game.  There's some friends on both sides and they had some personal business they wanted to take care of."

 

If the Lancers stay committed to last night's type of effort, even on nights when there's nothing personally motivating them, then they've finally gotten it.  We will see.

 

For Health Sciences, that loss should only help a very young team that started no seniors, learn that one-on-one basketball is meant for two people in a driveway.  The Falcons goal is to be playing in the Class B1/B2 crossover game on Tuesday, March 1st and I'll bet you my front row seat at games that Olean is the team waiting for the B2 winner that night.  The Huskies have been a model for consistency and effort on the court for years, and what the Falcons faced last night offered an excellent preview of what could lie ahead.  A humbling loss like the one the Lancers just dealt them can often be the perfect antidote for a young team that is enjoying success, but really hasn't won anything yet.  Again, we will see.

 

Point Totals

St. Mary's:  Takal Molson 25, Cam Dunning 11, Kayson Hill 9, Christian Szablewski 8, Joseph Stoj 4, eric Brown 4, Daquan Hunt 3, Khalil White 2, Matt Ciezski 2

Health Sciences:  Kameron Briggs 9, Davonte Gaines 9, Tyron Lott 7, Bobby Oliver 5, Jayon Renfro 5, Jaquan Renfro 2

 

-centercourt