LYNN — It was a special night for the St. Mary’s boys basketball team Tuesday, as senior captain Ali Barry became the 12th player in program history to score his 1,000th career point while helping lead the No. 1 Spartans to an 88-44 win over No. 16 Norwell in a Division 3 tournament Round of 16 game at Tony Conigliaro Gymnasium.
Barry, who was named Catholic Central League co-MVP this winter alongside teammate David Brown Jr., finished the game with 27 points to go along with five rebounds and five assists.
“It felt really good to reach that milestone alongside these guys,” said Barry, who came to St. Mary’s as an eighth-grader. “We’ve been through a lot over the past few years and we’ve taken some tough losses, so it was nice to get to share this with them as well.”
“I’ve been coaching Ali since he was 5 or 6 years old, through Pop Warner and CYO basketball and all that stuff,” said St. Mary’s coach Dave Brown. “It’s emotional to see him reach this point, and he’s really created a legacy for himself by coming back to St Mary’s for a senior year and reaching this milestone.”
David Brown Jr. chipped in 18 points and three rebounds in the win, while Anthony D’Itria had 11 points and two rebounds. Nick Sacco notched 10 points and four rebounds, Omri Merryman added nine points and four rebounds and Henri Miraka notched seven points and two rebounds.
But even more impressive than the pinpoint shooting and offensive efficiency was the Spartans’ defensive intensity. By the halftime break, St. Mary’s had only allowed 15 points.
“The guys really came out on fire (Tuesday), and I told the guys at halftime that I think this might be the best we’ve played on that side of the ball,” said Brown. “We knew coming in that they had two talented big guys, and if we let them play in the half court they have the advantage. So our goal was to get out, force them to run and get some turnovers out of it.”
The Spartans came into the game with a clear plan to get Barry — who came into Tuesday needing 15 points to hit 1,000 — the ball early and often. He drained 3-pointers on the first two possessions of the game to get into an early groove, and by the time there was 1:00 left in the first quarter Barry had already hit a floater in the lane to reach the milestone.
It was all Spartans from there, as Brown, Barry, Merryman, D’Itria and Sacco all knocked down multiple threes en route to a dominating 57-15 lead at the halftime break.
The starters were out of the game less than midway through the third quarter for St. Mary’s, and the reserves helped the Spartans cruise to the easy victory.
St. Mary’s (25-1) will continue on its state tournament journey, as the Spartans will host No. 8 Dover-Sherborn in the Div. 3 quarterfinal round Friday (TBD) at Lynn English High School.
“This team has had its season ended abruptly in each of the past few years, so they know not to take any game lightly,”said Brown. “(We’ll) get back in the gym for practice (Wednesday) and start getting prepared for another tough test.”
“It’s felt terrible getting knocked out in heartbreaking fashion the past few years,” said Barry. “We know we’ve got to come out each day and be better than the last, and we know every team is gunning for us at the same time. We’ve just got to stay prepared and keep playing like we have been.”
