MILLTOWN – Milford entered Saint Mark’s on Jan 10 as one of two undefeated teams remaining in boys basketball in Delaware. A few hours later, however, the Spartans walked off the court with a 56-48 win, snapping a four-game losing streak and leaving Archmere as the lone remaining unbeaten.
The Spartans set the tone with a blistering first quarter. NAME Deadwyler scored on his first three-point attempt of the afternoon, one of three for Saint Mark’s in the first eight minutes. Saint Mark’s helped its cause with a relentless defense, which caused several Buccaneers turnovers. Late in the quarter, Dylan Wright nailed another three for the Spartans, extending their lead to 15-4.
Milford scored five straight out of a timeout, but the final bucket of the quarter belonged to the Spartans. Josh Huffman (St. John the Beloved Parish) scored on a reverse layup after a Spartans steal to end the first.
The Spartans continued their play into the second. They got to every loose ball and grabbed every rebound despite the Bucs’ slight height advantage. Bromwell had a pair of threes in the first few minutes as Saint Mark’s scored the first eight, taking a 25-9 lead.
Milford’s Karon Bacon answered that triple immediately with one of his own, and the Buccaneers were able to trim the lead to 11 by the half. They continued to trim the lead into the second half. Michael Mullen had a pair of three-pointers sandwiched around a four-point play from Taj’Mir Handy, part of a 10-2 stretch that ended with the Bucs trailing by just three at 29-26.
After weathering that storm, Saint Mark’s found its offense beginning with about two and a half minutes to go in the third. They scored 14 points before the quarter ended, going to Nate Meyer on several occasions. Meyer was able to get behind the Milford defense a number of times, hitting two short layups and getting fouled a few other times. He added a three-pointer to boot.
Meyer hit two free throws early in the fourth to push the lead to 15, and a bit later, Robinson, who had a big day off the bench, drained a three-point shot, and he fed Bromwell (St. John the Beloved Parish) for a layup after a steal. The Saint Mark’s lead was 50-34 with 4:10 left.
Milford, however, had one more comeback attempt left in them. The Bucs turned repeatedly to Mullen and Kaisan Bacon, who scored all but on of their team’s points in the fourth. Mullen and Kaisan Bacon led the charge, heading into the pain again and again as the Spartans searched for answers defensively. Kaisan Bacon had a steal and hoop late to get Milford to within five a 52-47, but Robinson hit a clutch shot with 28 seconds to go, getting fouled as he completed the three-point play.
Meyer led the Spartans with 19, and Bromwell had 12. Saint Mark’s (3-6) is off until Jan. 17, when they host Christiana at 2 p.m.
Mullen was one of three Buccaneers in double figures with 16. Joining him were Kaisan Bacon (11) and Handy (10). Milford (8-1) travels to Polytech on Jan. 13 for a 6:30 p.m. tipoff.
Photos by Mike Lang.
