WILMINGTON – Tower Hill used a dominant third quarter to erase a four-goal halftime deficit, and the Hillers went on to defeat St. Mark’s, 13-11, in boys lacrosse on Tuesday afternoon. Eighth-grader Brendan Hickey led Tower with five goals.
The Spartans got off to a quick start, scoring just a minute and seven seconds into the opening quarter. Tadgh Snook took the ball along the baseline and flipped a shot high past Hillers keeper Richie Pierce. A delayed penalty was called on Tower Hill on the play, giving St. Mark’s a man-up situation. Forty-nine seconds later, Snook struck again, this time from the top of the circle.
Will Corroon got the Hillers on the board with 7:29 to go, beating Spartans keeper Kevin Groves low. But the Spartans were winning faceoffs and controlling the ground balls, and that possession advantage paid dividends at the 6:19 mark. This time, C.J. Frederick deked around a defender and bounced one into the net. The goalkeepers traded saves, but the Hillers were able to tie it with two goals in a two-minute stretch late in the quarter. Corroon scored the second of those two.
Each team added a goal in the final minute of play in the first. Snook completed his hat trick with 47 seconds left, taking a pass from the long pole of Matt Dougherty, carrying it in to the right of Pierce and stuffing it home. But Colin Hodgson equalized with 20 seconds to go, sending one in as he was knocked to the turf.
The second quarter belonged to the Spartans. With St. Mark’s shorthanded, Snook picked up a loose ball, carried it in toward the Hillers’ goal and fed Frederick, who sent a nifty reverse shot into the net. The next goal came after a save by Groves, who sent a pass halfway up the field to David Suddard, who hit Liam Kline in stride for the tally.
A minute after that, Snook came out from behind the net, reverse spun and went high to make it 7-4. The Spartans added one more before Hickey ended the St, Mark’s run at four. But Snook restored the four-goal advantage in the final minute of the second, taking a pass from behind the net and going over the keeper’s shoulder.
Tower Hill came out with renewed purpose in the third, outscoring the Spartans, 5-0, and limiting St. Mark’s chances. Colin Hodgson ran in and scored on the first possession of the half, and 80 seconds later Theo Stone found himself alone in front of Groves and cut the Spartans’ lead to 9-7. The Hillers kept the pressure on, and Hickey scored again with 3:42 to go. Hickey connected on a wraparound shot with 42 seconds left in the third to tie the score heading into the fourth.
The Hillers held the Spartans to two goals in the fourth while scoring three of their own for the final margin.
Snook had six goals for St. Mark’s, while Frederick and Kline added two each. Newcomer had the other St. Mark’s tally. The Spartans (3-5) are back in action Thursday at 6 p.m. at Caravel.
Hickey led the Hillers with four goals; Stone, Hodgson and Corroon each had three. Tower (4-6) next plays at Cape Henlopen on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
