DANVERS — Two conference teams, first meeting of the season.
Despite great defense from the hosts, Malden Catholic (4-3) earned themselves a 68-35 win against the St. John’s Prep Eagles (3-4) in Danvers.
Speaking of defense, it was like that since the beginning.
With neither offense finding its rhythm during the first half, Malden Catholic took a 23-18 lead to the break.
The Prep’s plague: turnovers.
“I felt like we were in it after the first half. It was just the turnovers that hurt us in addition to not making shots,” said Prep coach Dave Clay.
Clay praised the defense from Malden Catholic, and credited its coaching staff.
“They play great defense,” he said. “The ball pressure, they deny passing lanes, they do all of it.”
Unfortunately, the hot hand never found its way to Danvers. The Eagles trailed 42-23 entering the final quarter.
Positivity remained, however.
“I liked that we got some open looks. We really challenge our guys to attack the rim,” Clay said. “I’m proud of them for trying that out and attempting to get to the rim, even though it wasn’t always going in. They gave great effort to try something out of their comfort zones.”
Quinn Gregoire led the Eagles with 10 points, while Dawagner De Los Santos chipped in with six alongside strong defense.
Kaleel Javier (3 points) and Will Kent provided defensive sparks, too, helping contain the Lancers’ big men.
Clay harkened back to his team’s “toughness” against a physical Lancers side.
“They were playing with some grit and toughness,” Clay said. “It was great to see that.”
The Lancers ran away in the final quarter, putting a lid on the hosts.
But with plenty of basketball still to be played this season, Clay talked about how much he’s enjoying working with his “positive” team.
“They are relentlessly positive. They’re always showing up and eager to learn and get better,” he said. “I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better group. As the season progresses, we’ll get better and better. We’ll start stringing some makes together. We just need to bounce back from this.”
The Eagles look to get back to winning ways on Tuesday when they travel to St. John’s with tip-off scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
