MILLTOWN — Saint Mark’s opened its 2021-22 girls basketball home season by welcoming back the 1983 state champions, then went out and quickly put away the night’s foe, Dickinson. The Spartans improved to 3-0 with a 61-11 victory over the Lady Rams.
Sophia Messick continued her hot-shooting ways in the first week of the season. She drilled her first shot of the evening, a three-pointer, and she wasn’t done. Before the first quarter ended, Messick would hit four more field goals, including another three. Another one went for an old-fashioned three-point play.
But she wasn’t alone. Bella Prado gave the Spartans an inside presence, and she had four in the quarter, along with a few rebounds. Gillian Cantagallo and Hailey Short took advantage of Spartans takeaways to turn them into transition buckets. After a quarter, Saint Mark’s led, 21-0.
The Lady Rams got on the board on a My’Asia Flowers free throw 44 seconds into the second, and Diamond Coverdale added a pair of three-point shots, but the outcome of the game was never in doubt.
The Spartans were able to use the entire roster for extended minutes, and Keira Benoit took advantage with seven points in the second. Sophia Karch stood out in the fourth quarter, hitting four short baseline field goals in quick succession.
Messick led all scorers with 16 points, and Karch added 12. The Spartans are back on the court Friday at Laurel at 5:45 p.m.
Coverdale scored eight to lead Dickinson. The Lady Rams fell to 0-2 and host their next four games, beginning with Freire Charter on Thursday at 3:30 p.m.
All photos by Mike Lang.
