WILMINGTON – It was a new look for Saint Mark’s boys basketball, but the results were the same as the Spartans extended their winning streak to five games with a 60-50 win at Wilmington Charter on Jan. 24.
Five players who normally do not start took the floor against the Force, and they held their own. The game was tied at halftime before the regular starters came in to start the second half, and they helped Saint Mark’s get the cushion they needed to withstand any fourth-quarter comeback attempts by Charter.
The Spartans took a quick 5-0 lead on a pair of field goals by Elijah Robinson, both coming after the Saint Mark’s defense caused turnovers. The Force, however, were not deterred, and they stormed back. All five starters scored in the quarter, including a late three-pointer from Anthony Szczerba that ended a 10-3 run.
The Spartans scored the first six points of the second to take the lead, but it was back and forth for a bit after that. Aidan Cuocolo (St. John the Beloved Parish) tied the game with 55 seconds left on a third-chance shot, and he followed that with another short field goal after a Force turnover. Charter’s Matt Stella sent the teams into the locker room tied at 25 with a buzzer-beating shot.
The Spartans’ starters made their first appearance at the start of the second half, and they made their presence known. Wilmington Charter struggled against the Saint Mark’s press defense, and Dylan Wright put the visitors on top, 28-25, with a three-point shot. Nate Meyer and Griffin Davis added threes, and the Spartans scored once more after that as part of an 11-0 run to begin the second half. They took a 10-point lead into the fourth.
Both teams shot well in the final eight minutes, and the Spartans’ lead remained around 10 points most of the way. Charter’s Gavin Sauder was their best weapon. He hit two three-point shots on the way to a 10-point fouth. For Saint Mark’s, six different players scored, led by Josh Huffman (St. John the Beloved Parish) with eight. Daniel Ibrahim added an exclamation point late in the quarter with a tomahawk dunk following a Spartans defensive rebound.
Robinson and Huffman each had 10 for the Spartans, who got scoring from 11 players. Saint Mark’s (7-6) are supposed to host St. Elizabeth on Jan. 26 at 7:15 p.m., but that could be delayed by snow. Their next game after that is Jan. 30 at 8 p.m. against Delaware Military in the SL24 Memorial Classic at the Chase Fieldhouse in Wilmington.
For Wilmington Charter, Sauder had 17, and Stella added 15. The Force (4-9) are scheduled to play Jan. 27 at 6 p.m. at St. Elizabeth, although that could be affected by the snow.
Photos by Mike Lang.
