MILLTOWN — Saint Mark’s boys basketball team fell behind Brandywine, 5-0, to start their game on Feb. 11, but the Spartans’ Chase Wright ignited the offense, scoring 10 first-quarter points as Saint Mark’s took a tight one with the Bulldogs, 60-54.
The Spartans entered the game, which started around 12:30 p.m., with little rest after a loss the night before at Salesianum. Brandywine’s Joseph Johnson showed little sympathy, stealing a Spartans pass and scoring in transition, then getting open underneath for a quick 4-0 lead. Lemann Johnson added a free throw to increase the lead to five.
Saint Mark’s shook off those early woes, with Wright getting the Spartans on the board with a mid-range jumper, followed by a game-tying three-pointer. Brandywine took an 11-8 lead on a runout by Lemann Johnson with 50 seconds left in the quarter, but another triple for Wright began a 10-0 Saint Mark’s run that extended into the second.
Chad Dohl hit from 16 feet to give the Spartans a 13-11 lead after one, and Ruben Rodriguez provided a spark off the bench, opening the second with a three. Christian Taylor rebounded a missed Bulldogs free throw and found Matt McDonald for a layup to end the run.
The lead reached eight points on a McDonald three, but the Bulldogs stuck close. They preferred a quick-paced attack, which was fine with junior Crisdon Wright. He attacked the rim relentlessly as the half approached, scoring the Bulldogs’ final seven points; they trailed by six at the break.
Dadrien Howell sandwiched field goals around a single Spartans free throw midway through the third to get Brandywine within two at 34-32, but Saint Mark’s clamped down. Ryan Smith gave his team some offense, hitting a mid-range jumper and a short turnaround, and Wright added another three-pointer to get the lead nine. The margin reached 13 on a McDonald corner three in the final minute, but Brandywine knocked five off of that before the fourth began.
Facing a 10-point deficit, Lemann Johnson hit from distance, and Howell had an old-fashioned three-point play, cutting Saint Mark’s lead to 48-44. Immediately after the three-point play, however, Taylor went to the rim and earned his own for the Spartans.
Taylor’s layup with just over a minute to go pushed the lead to 10, and he added a block to keep the Bulldogs down double digits. Brandywine added two more field goals in the closing seconds, but the Spartans got the win.
Wright led the Spartans with 16 points, with Taylor and McDonald each adding 9. The Spartans (8-9) visit Newark Charter on Tuesday at 6:15 p.m.
For Brandywine, Wright finished with 19, with Lemann Johnson getting 12 and Howell 11. The Bulldogs (5-13) are at Howard on Wednesday at 4:45 p.m.
All photos by Mike Lang.
