BROCKTON— Before the season started, St. Mary’s girls basketball coach Jeff Newhall applauded his team for having a sense of chemistry that often takes a while to develop. Now, as the Spartans approach the tail end of their regular season schedule, that chemistry continues to carry them in the right direction.
Friday night’s 81-36 rout on the road at Catholic Central League opponent Cardinal Spellman was another indication that St. Mary’s isn’t leaving anything on the table this winter.
“I talked about it two or three different times during timeouts (Friday),” Newhall said. “We went on quick scoring spurts and we were making the extra pass. Obviously, when the shot goes in it looks that much better but I said ‘It’s game 19. When you’re continuing to make the extra pass, the sky’s the limit.’ They’re continuing to do it. It’s on us to sustain that.”
The victory was St. Mary’s 18th in a row, raising the Spartans’ mark to 18-1. After falling to Archbishop Williams in the season opener, the Spartans have simply taken the season by storm.
“We lost the first game and we were down 10 in the second quarter in Andover,” Newhall said. “We started to question what was going on. Really from that point, the intensity’s been great, the energy’s great on the bench, on the floor, we’re making the extra pass. It helps when you have a bunch of good basketball players.”
St. Mary’s featured 12 scorers Friday, four in double-figures. Maiya Bergdorf and Nicolette D’Itria each scored a game-high 14 points. Following their lead were Gabby Torres (13 points) and Olivia Matela (12). Jannise Avelino poured in six points and, with Bergdorf, controlled the paint.
Torres opened the scoring with a basket following a series of Spartans offensive rebounds. Halfway through the first period, D’Itria’s 3-pointer bumped St. Mary’s lead to double-digits at 13-2. Spellman looked to stop the bleeding with Madison Feetham’s basket but the Spartans followed with a 5-2 run. Bergdorf’s 3-pointer cushioned the lead to 21-4. The Spartans closed the quarter with two more hoops.
St. Mary’s proceeded to tally the next 10 points before Spellman scored again via free throw. To the Cardinals’ credit, they ended the half on a 7-4 run. But St. Mary’s was well ahead with a 39-12 lead at halftime.
Torres hit a pair of 3’s, including one to open the second half, and Queliz beat the buzzer from halfcourt to highlight the third quarter. Newhall’s substitutes finished the win in the fourth quarter. Van Nguyen and Pej’ae Parent each netted a 3-pointer.
“Like I’ve been saying, one through 14 we have a really good team,” Newhall said. “Everybody’s part of it. Last year we lost two girls in a six-second span at the Tsongas Center (in the Division 3 North final). You’re throwing people in the game and it’s like ‘Oh my God it’s my turn.’ we’re hoping that throughout the course of the regular season they’ve gotten enough time that if that happens again they’re ready to go.”
St. Mary’s travels to Boston Monday (6:30) for a CCL battle with Cathedral. With a victory, St. Mary’s wins the league. The Spartans have yet to come away with a win on the Panthers’ home floor.
“They came into the league four years ago and we just beat them for the first time in January. We’re looking forward to it,” Newhall said. “It’ll be a great environment. There’s a lot at stake. The winner’s going to win the league. It’s like a conference championship game. We’re looking forward to being in a good environment against a really good team.”
