St. Mary’s boys hoop is hungry to go further

The St. Mary?s boys? basketball team played deep into March last season, losing in the Division 4 North final against St. Clement. That loss has left those players returning with a bitter taste in their mouths and plenty of motivation, coach Dave Brown said.?I keep reminding them that we had a good year last season but the way it ended wasn?t how we wanted,” Brown said. “We lost some kids to transfer and graduation but the ones here still have plenty of motivation to get back and finish the job.”The Spartans, who ended the year 18-5, bring back plenty of veterans who saw lots of minutes in the tournament. Leading the way is senior guard Dennis Bailer, who was nearly unstoppable for most of the playoffs.?Dennis was great for us in the tournament and we expect big things out of him,” Brown said. “He should be one of the best players in the (Catholic Central) league.”Anthony Silfa, who was Bailer?s equal last season, won?t be back after transferring to Lynn English, taking his 22 points and eight rebounds per game with him. Curtis Lockett, who averaged 12 points per game last season, is lost to graduation. But Spartan fans needn?t worry as Brown still has a good core of veterans around him.That group includes senior center Luc Zikianda, who started nearly every game last season. Sophomore Javier Mercado is back to run the point while Phil Garraud is returns at forward after seeing extensive time last year.?We have a lot of guys that played last season so I expect us to get better as the season goes along,” Brown said. “We lost a lot in Silfa and Lockett but we have the pieces to be able to replace them.”The Spartans also will be bolstered by an influx of new blood.Joe Fama transfers in from the Tilton School. The Lynnfield native was a standout on the St. Mary?s football team this fall and will bring versatility to the Spartans lineup as he play either guard or forward.Another newcomer is 6-feet-8 Cooper Robbins Lentz, who comes over after spending last season on the St. John?s Prep junior varsity team. Marcus Atkins is another transfer, after playing for Saugus the last couple of seasons.?Hopefully they can give us some depth,” Brown said. “They will definitely help us.”Brown also expects Kyle Smith and Tyler Devine, who were on the Spartans JV team last year, to be big contributors.St. Mary?s kicks off its regular season at home on Dec. 15 against Cathedral