LYNN — St. Mary’s hosted Bishop Fenwick Wednesday evening, taking home the victory 87-55. Seniors Nick Sacco and Omri Merryman led the Spartans with 19 points each, while freshman Jake Bellancini paced the Crusaders with 12.
The Spartans began the game pushing the pace and on fire from beyond the arc. St. Mary’s jumped out to an early 16-2 lead thanks to Anthony D’Itria (12 points). The sharpshooter scored all 12 of his points in the first quarter, scorching Fenwick’s zone defense.
“We knew they [Spartans] were going to try and speed us up. They’re just a very good team,” Fenwick head coach Kevin Moran said.
The Crusaders did find success, however, when St. Mary’s overcommitted on steals, allowing Fenwick to have several three-on-two advantages. Junior captain James Meklis (10 points) knocked down a long two-pointer in transition after successfully beating the press.
That said, when Fenwick failed to beat the press, the Spartans meant business. A Fenwick turnover led to a breakaway dunk for Merryman to fire up the crowd, and St. Mary’s led 31-10 after the first quarter.
“We always want to play fast and aggressive,” St. Mary’s assistant coach Pancho Bingham said.
Fenwick couldn’t keep up with the Spartans’ pace. Three straight turnovers in the second quarter allowed the Spartans to stretch their lead and go on a 12-2 run.
Sacco showed his ability to go strong to the rim and finish. He has a quick first step to get past his initial defender, while also having the vertical leap to rise above opponents at the rim.
“Sacco has been playing unbelievable,” Bingham said. “He’s running the floor, getting rebounds, and getting easy layups. He’s playing where we want him to be.”
Despite being down by double digits, the Crusaders tried to rally back. Junior guard John Kennedy (two points) brought his team to life with multiple offensive rebounds, but the Spartans went into halftime with a 52-24 lead.
Not much changed in the second half as St. Mary’s dictated the pace and showed its relentlessness on defense. Despite the final score, Moran said there are takeaways his team can take away.
“Being able to compete against great teams like this,” Moran said. “I think it’s a matter of us learning. We got some young guys out there, and we need to be able to compete against them.”
St. Mary’s next game is home on Friday against Archbishop Williams with tip-off scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Fenwick will travel to Bishop Stang Friday night at 6:30 p.m.
Leading Scorers (St. Mary’s)
Merryman (19)
Sacco (19)
David Brown (13)
D’Itria (12)
Dion Okonoboh (5)
Javihan Martinez (3)
Tommy Falasca (3)
Marlon Estrella (3)
Donel Kabongo Mutombo (2)
Derrick Coulanges (2)
Kyle Rush (2)
Josiah Quintana (2)
Brooklyn Barros (2)
Leading Scorers (Bishop Fenwick)
Bellancini (12)
Nate Allder (11)
Meklis (10)
Ben Zaniboni (7)
Charlie Byers (5)
James Vahey (3)
Aiden Breen (3)
Kennedy (2)
William Perillo (2)
