LYNN — Coach Dave Brown told his St. Mary’s boys basketball team at halftime Monday night that teams were gunning for them, and they better match their intensity.
The boys got the message, and came out gunning in the third quarter and never stopped. The result was a 95-57 win over Austin Prep.
“I kind of think that (in the first half) we came out thinking that we were just going to roll over everybody,” he said. “But they have to remember that every team we play, if they beat us that’s their season,” Brown said. “They’re all going to come in here with increased intensity and we have to match it.
The Spartans matched it — and then destroyed it.
At halftime, the score was 37-31, Spartans, and the only reason the Cougars were in the game was their three-point shooting in the second quarter. Austin Prep had six threes in the period, four of them by Derek Sigsbury.
But once the Spartans got rolling, no one from Austin Prep could stop them. St. Mary’s scored 31 points in the third quarter to Austin’s nine; and just kept going in the final period, outscoring the Cougars, 27-17.
The prime mover for the Spartans in the second half was David Brown Jr., who scored 16 of his 20 points in the final two periods, including four three-pointers. Also hot were Ali Barry (nine of his 18) and Henri Miraka (10 of his 14).
Nick Sacco (12 points) and Derek Coulanges (14) were also in double figures.
St. Mary’s put the hammer down the moment the third quarter began. The Spartans went off on a 18-2 run and their lead ballooned from nine points (42-33) to 24 (57-35). Brown scored 10 of the points.
Aside from giving the team a pep talk, Brown switched defenses.
“We were doing straight man-to-man in the first half, but we switched to a 2-2-1 zone and got some easy turnovers that gave us some momentum,” he said.
If there was one negative take from the game, it was his team’s struggle with the man-to-man defense.
“I think for the first time in the history of the school, our team is ranked No. 3 (in a Boston newspaper poll),” he said. “That kind of puts a bullseye on our backs.
“Also,” he said, “when the tournament starts, everyone’s 0-0. We’re going to have to play much better man-to-man when that starts.”
The 17-1 Spartans, winners of 15 straight, are at Fenwick Friday (6:30).
