The Lancers remained undefeated on the season, and more importantly, opened their Monsignor Martin schedule with a victory over a Niagara Catholic team that could be their toughest competition to repeat as Manhattan Cup champs.  The first 'Game of the Week' in 2018 did not disappoint, with 12 lead changes, nine ties, and an exciting fourth quarter that saw St. Mary's overcome a 10-point deficit on its way to a 27-point final stanza.

 

 

 

 

 

St. Mary's:  Eric Brown 15, Christian Szablewski 13, Brady O'Brien 11, Matt Ciezki 7, Frank Propis 7, Eric Kegler 6, Jake Lukasik 4, Kofie Osei 2, Jailen Russell 2

Niagara Catholic:  Jalen Bradberry 19, Quinelle Burch 16, Haakim Siner 13, Avion Harris 7, Roman Wright 6, Mehki Starks 2, Raejuan Smith 1

 

 

 

St. Mary's:  7-0  /  Next game vs. Cardinal O'Hara Tuesday, January 9th

 

Niagara Catholic:  7-2  /  Next game vs. St. Joe's Friday, January 5th

 

 

 

Eric Brown – St. Mary's

 

 

 

Brady O'Brien – St. Mary's

 

 

 

St. Mary's:  Eric Brown 4/4 FTs in final minute & a momentum-swinging block / Christian Szablewski 8 rebounds

 

Niagara Catholic:  Haakim Siner 14 rebounds

 

 

 

– Niagara Catholic closed the opening quarter on a 9-2 run to go up by seven

 

– St. Mary's used a 13-1 surge in the 2nd quarter to take its first lead, 21-18

 

– Niagara Catholic broke a halftime tie with eight unanswered

 

– St. Mary's erased a 10-point deficit in the final stanza with an 18-6 blitz

 

 

 

St. Mary's (2):  Christian Szablewski, Matt Ciezki

 

Niagara Catholic (5):  Jalen Bradberry (3), Roman Wright, Avion Harris

 

 

 

 

They were penetrating, #25 (Haakim Siner) was getting easy baskets, they got a lot of buckets in the paint, and Bradberry was knocking down some shots, so we had some issues.

 

 They had us down double digits a couple times and we fought & clawed our way back in. I told them at the start of the fourth quarter, we've been in this situation before – we score 20, they score 10, and we come away with the victory.  The guys bought into it.

 

 I didn't know who blocked it because he came out of nowhere.  All of a sudden he comes up and pins it against the backboard.  The momentum swung right after that, it was a huge block that turned the tide.

 

 Eric stepped up as a senior captain & four-year varsity guy.  He nailed four huge free throws down the stretch and his senior leadership obviously was showing out there.

 

They're going to be around for awhile.  They're extremely athletic, all over the offensive glass & altering shots…it's going to be a tough year.

 

 

 

They defended well in the fourth quarter and turned it up a little bit.  We didn't match their energy.  Their experience and playing together for awhile worked to their advantage towards the end.  We missed too many layups and took some bad shots, but we're still young and getting used to playing together.  We'll learn from this and move forward. 

 

 

 

– I think the Lancers pulled this win out for the same reason I had them favored coming in – senior leadership/experience & toughness.  To overcome a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter and score 27 points in the process requires a team to really dig in.  No one dug deeper than Eric Brown.

 

– St. Mary's didn't take many threes and didn't make any until the fourth quarter.  Christian Szablewski swished the first and Matt Ciezki drilled the second on consecutive possessions to ignite the game-winning run.

 

– Eric Brown's block was straight out of a highlight reel as he soared in to pin it off the backboard.  What's more, he prevented NC from going back up by eight and it sparked enough momentum that Brady O'Brien scored back-to-back buckets that closed the gsap to just two points.

 

– Brady O'Brien was my unsung hero for some gutsy finishes around the basket and scoring 8 of his 11 points in the 2nd half, with six coming in the fourth quarter.  Eric Kegler & Jacob Lukasik also played key roles for the Lancers in the second half.

 

– Haakim Siner scored 8 of his 13 points in the third quarter for Niagara Catholic, was a force on the glass, and stays dialed in defensively.

 

– There's a lot to like about Quinelle Burch's game, and I like all of it.  The Niagara Catholic junior is level-headed and consistent.

 

– If you're going to see time in the Patriots' rotation, you better bring some energy because the whole team plays super-charged.  That's exactly what Roman Wright did when his number was called, hustling, talking on defense, and stroking a big trey.

 

– Warning:  Bring the ball down too low against Mehki Starks and it's his.

 

– The Patriots cause so many turnovers by staying on their man like a cheap suit, even through screens, and deflecting or outright stealing passes.  

 

 

-centercourt