St. Joseph Boys Basketball Extends Winning Streak To 10 Games

An impeccable performance from big men Oscar Assie and Timajh Parker inside the paint helped the boys basketball team extend its winning streak to 10 games with a solid 70-60 victory over Staples on Monday.

The eighth-ranked Cadets’ big men combined for 21 of the team’s 24 points in the fourth quarter. They were perfect from the field in the final period, which allowed St. Joseph to preserve its lead after a late-game surge from the Wreckers.

“When they  are playing that well together, it’s going to be very hard for teams to stop us down low,” St. Joseph Head Coach Vito Montelli said.

The Cadets (13-1, 15-1) jumped off to a quick start to begin the game, scoring nine straight points, and secured a lead they wouldn’t forfeit for the entire match.

The nearest Staples came to stealing the lead from the Cadets was after a nine-point run of its own to finish the first quarter, which closed the gap to two points.

“They started gaining momentum at the end of the first, so we knew we’d have to come out a lot more strongly defensively in the next few quarters,” Assie said.

In fact, the Cadets focused so much on their defense that they held the Wreckers to only 18 points combined in the following two quarters. St. Joseph scored 30 in the two periods to build a 14-point cushion.    

Staples made it interesting with a 28-point outburst in the final quarter, spurred by four conveniently-timed 3-pointers. But St. Joseph responded by missing only a single shot from the field over the final eight minutes.

“I think we played well down the stretch, but it comes down to us making 8-of- 11 free throws in the last quarter," Montelli said. "That was really what sealed it."

Although Staples made nine 3-pointers, St. Joseph used its height and strength in the paint to overcome the Wreckers' outside success.

Assie scored 11 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter, most of them coming by using his height advantage to establish good position in the post.

Brandon Jones and Parker each chipped in with a game-high 16 points. Parker also finished with a double-double after grabbing 10 rebounds, in addition to recording five assists.

The Cadets will look to continue winning as they return to action at home against Fairfield Ludlowe at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.