LYNN — Friday night hoops in Lynn, featuring the visiting Bishop Feehan Shamrocks and host St. Mary’s Spartans, who showed off all their strengths in a 59-51 win.
Coach Dave Brown of St. Mary’s (9-4; No. 18 in Division 3) was pleased with his team’s performance against a tough Feehan (5-6; No. 46 in Division 1) side.
“We knew going into this game that it was going to be a dog fight. They’re a big, physical team with a lot of size,” Brown said.
Although Feehan had size and strength advantages, it had no answer for eighth grader Jake Fortier (22 points), who came out of the game firing. Fortier scored 17 of St. Mary’s first 21 points, including a 10-0 solo run in the second quarter.
“He scored the ball in so many different ways to keep us afloat when JJ (Martinez) wasn’t going,” Brown said.
Brown didn’t expect Fortier to be producing like he has been this season.
“It’s crazy because going into the season, I knew that he would play, but I didn’t expect him to play 28-29 minutes a game. Tonight, he played the full game,” Brown said. “He takes care of the ball for the most part and he knocks down shots. At the beginning of the season, he was a bit hesitant to score, but in the last few games, he’s been looking to score and he’s doing a great job. With Kyle (Rush) and JJ on the wing, he knows he has scorers over there. With those three guys on the perimeter – if they’re knocking down shots – we’re a tough team to beat.”
The Spartans led 27-24 at halftime and held an eight-point lead (43-35) going into the fourth quarter.
Feehan didn’t go down without a fight, opening the final frame on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to just one before Brown called a timeout.
“We had some breakdowns on defense, so we called a timeout and we just told them to get into their sets, get good shots, and defend,” Brown said. “They buckled down and despite them being young, they’re learning as the season goes on. We might have dropped that game earlier this year.”
When St. Mary’s returned to the court, its offensive game plan was simple: get the ball to JJ Martinez.
Martinez (13 points), who didn’t have a point until the second half, stepped up as a scorer and facilitator to calm the scene.
“JJ is our guy. When the game is tight, we want the ball in his hands. He’s going to make great decisions, whether it’s scoring the ball or finding the open man,” Brown said. “I’m willing to live or die with the ball in JJ’s hands. He’s only a sophomore, too. I expect great things from him every night.”
One player who benefited from Martinez’s playmaking was junior forward Donel Kabongo Mutombo, who finished the game with 16 points. Mutombo made clutch layups down the stretch to seal the game for St. Mary’s.
“Donel did a great job on the glass on both sides of the court,” Brown said.
Martinez knocked down five of six free throws down the stretch to give his Spartans a quality win over a Division 1 program.
St. Mary’s travels to Martha’s Vineyard for a 2 p.m. game on Sunday.
