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Marcus Snipes scored four of his 17 points from the free throw line, late in the fourth quarter, to turn a one-point deficit to a three-point lead for the Saints.
In a matchup of the two top teams in the South Division of the MIAA B Conference, both at less than 100%, St. Mary's hosted arch-rival Severn, on Saturday afternoon in Annapolis, and scratched out a tough 49-46 victory.
Sophomore Marcus Snipes, who led the Saints (13-7, 6-2) with 17 points, drained four consecutive free throws, late in the fourth quarter, to turn a one point deficit into a 46-43 and St. Mary's added three more free throws to close out the victory.
Both teams came into the contest battling some injury and health issues. On St. Mary’s end, junior guard Nick Groce was not 100% and did not start after being injured earlier in the week. The Saints were also without star guard Josh Morgan-Green, who has been out with a broken wrist.
For Severn (8-6, 3-3), they were feeling the effects of flu season. Forward Marvin Smith did not dress for the game and guard Andrew Adams was not at full strength.
Despite the issues, both teams were fully aware of the historic rivalry between the two schools and the intensity was full throttle from the start.
St. Mary’s tiny gym was packed with fans from both teams and the small confines amplified the noise of the crowd tenfold. A gym full of no more than 300 people sounded like an arena of 3,000. There was a clear home court advantage.
The Saints were led by the backcourt duo of Snipes and Groce, who came off the bence to score 14 points. Snipes seemed to be unstoppable getting into the lane for lay-ups and drawing fouls, while Groce got his with jumpers from outside.
“You know what they bring to the table,” said Severn coach James "Tank" Duckett. “You have to account for them and you can’t leave them. They are two great players.”
Forward Will Smith led Severn with a team high 17 points. The flu-stricken Adams also contributed 15 points, including nine points off three shots from downtown.
Adams, only a sophomore, isn’t responsible for just shooting threes. He is also a young leader for the team.
“He gives us a lot of energy and plays real hard,” said Duckett. “As a sophomore you’re asking an awful lot [of him] to start on the varsity and play a lot of minutes. But he’s got to be responsible and take care of the ball for us too.”
Center Ben Montgomery, who is 6-7, was a defensive force, contributing 10 rebounds, three blocks and taking two charges. The undersized Saints found it hard to score at times with the big man in the middle.
“Defensively, he’s not just a B Conference big man. He’s as good as any center around in that aspect…altering and blocking shots, rebounding, he’s really long,” said St. Mary’s assistant coach Jeff Saunders of Montgomery.
Late in the third quarter, the momentum seemed to be swinging in the Admirals favor. Trailing by five, Severn reeled off six straight points. A three pointer by point guard Alex Testoff and a traditional three point play by Smith, gave Severn the lead going into the fourth quarter, 35-34.
The fourth quarter, however, was the Snipes and Groce show, as the two players tallied all but four of the team’s 15 points during the final period and helped St. Mary’s pull away for the win.
With only a seven man rotation, Severn simply did not have enough in the tank to get the victory.
“We fought back real hard, but just ran out of gas. We usually go eight deep, but with Smith out, we only had seven today,” described Duckett. “I’m proud of how we stepped up.
“It’s one of those great classic rival games,” he added. “We both fought hard and, in the end, somebody has to win.”
St Mary’s 49, Severn 46
St. Mary’s 14 12 8 15 - 49
Severn 11 12 12 11 - 46
St. Mary's: Snipes 17, Groce 14, Hoffman 4, Akpapunam 4, Doub 3, Quinn 6, Galligan 2.
Severn: Adams 15, Duncan 4, Montgomery 4, Palmer 1, Smith 17, Testoff 3, Thurston 2.
Half: St. Mary’s, 26-23.
