MILLTOWN — A little home cooking was all Saint Mark’s boys basketball team needed as it picked up its first win of the season on Dec. 6, a 65-38 decision over Dickinson. Jorden Jones led the way with 16 points for the Spartans, who evened their record at 1-1.
Under second-year coach Lonnie Wright, the Spartans took control from the get-go, forcing the Rams to play catch-up all night. Chad Dohl was involved in the first two Spartans buckets, feeding Chris Taylor for the game’s first hoop at the 7:11 mark, then nailing his first three-point shot a minute later to make it 5-0.
Chase Wright joined the long-distance party, adding a triple, and Dohl scored again, this time on a driving bank shot with an assist from Wright. The Rams called a timeout, but Saint Mark’s added one more field goal. Again, it was Dohl, this time scoring in transition after a steal. Dickinson struggled against the Spartans’ pressure and could not get many easy shots, but Javyaire Perdomo finally got them on the board with 3:42 remaining in the first on a reverse layup.
Perdomo hit a three in the early stages of the second quarter to bring the Rams within six at 20-14, but the Spartans had too much firepower. Jones scored on a putback to get the lead back to eight, and he later added a corner three to complete a 7-0 Spartans run.
Saint Mark’s was aggressive on both sides of the ball. Their offense was off and running on most possessions, and the defense was all over the Rams. They also picked up a few fouls along the way, but the Rams could not cut into the Spartans’ lead. Dohl put the home team up by 16 with another three just before the halftime buzzer.
The teams played an even third quarter, but the period ended on a high note for the Spartans with a pair of nice assists for Wright. On one play, he took a pass off a rebound from Taylor and threw long-distance to Jones, who hit from close range. The Spartans regained possession, and with time winding down, Wright fed Matt McDonald underneath for a buzzer-beater that extended the lead to 18 after three.
In addition to Jones, Dohl (12), McDonald (11) and Wright (10) reached double figures. The Spartans travel to Middletown on Dec. 13 for a 5:15 tip against the Cavaliers.
Perdomo paced the Rams with 14. Dickinson (0-2) is home Dec. 13 at 4:45 p.m. to face Mount Pleasant.
All photos by Mike Lang.
