Saints overcome County Champions despite a record-breaking performance by Bruin forward Kevin Hunt

by Evan Roe

The St. Mary's boys beat Broadneck by a score of 56-50 earlier Monday night after leading almost the entire game. The Bruin defense played respectably against standout Josh Morgan-Green, allowing 15 points to the Division-I prospect, but Nicholas Groce made up the difference for the Saints, scoring a team-high 18 points and 3 steals.

The game was the Saints� sixth in seven days overall, a span in which the team has managed to go 4-2.

The Saints (6-3, 1-0) were in control for the majority of the game and matched the Bruins shot for shot, with Broadneck (4-1, 1-0) playing from behind for the entire second half after leading just once early in the second quarter by a score of 12-11.

As the game progressed, St. Mary�s strategy shifted more heavily from perimeter shooting to tough inside play to wear down the quick Bruin defense.

�We want to shoot three�s as quickly, as often as possible,� said St. Mary�s coach Brian Konik. �Now, six games in seven days�maybe not the best strategy. We had to make that adjustment and tell them to start attacking the basket. That�s when Nick Groce really just took it to the hole. Very acrobatic for a little guy, and he just really helped us out in the first half.�

Although his Saints had the upper hand at halftime, 24-22, Konik was far from comfortable. �I was very nervous because I know how good Broadneck is. Really Kevin Hunt and J.J. Hicks are such good players that really if they get going, there�s nothing you can do to stop them,� said Konik, who had his defense play the two stars very physically, eventually getting Hunt into foul trouble late.

�I knew that I had to get a lead big enough so that when they did their thing, we would still win,� said Konik. �We got [the lead] to nine, but all of a sudden J.J. started going crazy and got it down to one, but that was enough. If we hadn't gotten to nine, we probably would have lost the game.�

Despite St. Mary�s emphasis on slowing Hicks, the athletic senior managed to lead all scorers with 24 points and 4 rebounds for the Bruins, also drilling three shots from beyond the arc.

�They played really tough on J.J.,� said Broadneck coach John Williams. �But to his tribute, he did a great job of still putting points on the board and keeping us in the game. But it�s not going to be until we get some of these other guys really stepping and contributing [that] we�re really going to be successful.�

Hunt contributed 11 points and a game-leading 10 rebounds, which made him the Bruins' career leader even though he stands in at only 6�2� tall. He entered the contest just three boards shy of breaking the 366 mark set by Matt Campbell 17 years ago.

�What many people may not know about rebounding is that it�s not all about jumping or height, it�s about desire and heart,� Williams said. �I can�t say enough about Kevin. He has a motor that just doesn�t stop and he�s a lot of fun to coach. What�s really awesome about Kevin is that he�s humble, so there was nobody more disappointed than he was in the locker room tonight even though he eclipsed a record that�s been held for 17 years. That says a lot about him.�

St. Mary's led by as many as nine in the second half, but the Bruins clawed back to a one-point deficit with just 1:37 to play. The Saints pulled away, though, capitalizing on Bruin miscues in the waning minutes of the game.

Broadneck had a chance to take the lead at the Saint Mary's end with the score 49-48, but an errant pass turned the ball over with 39.0 seconds left. A backcourt violation, then a technical foul on Broadneck, put the Saints at the free throw line again, where they went 13-of-21 on the night.

Broadneck fared little better on its own foul shots, converting just 8 of 18.

Morgan-Green�s layup with just 8.0 seconds remaining closed the door on the Bruins� hopes of a fourth-quarter upset.

"Getting over that hump is all about making critical defensive stops and executing on offense, neither of which we did,� said Williams.

Though disappointed with his team�s performance, Williams felt optimistic that the early-season loss would prove constructive a one.

�It was a great environment for us to be a part of tonight, I felt as if it was a playoff atmosphere,� said Williams, in his fifth year as head coach. �We�re only going to grow from this. What doesn�t kill us is only going to make us better hopefully. I think we found out that our half-court offense still needs some work, and in critical situations we need to take care of the ball and understand time and score a little bit better.�

Saint Mary�s will travel to Glenelg Country on Wednesday, while Broadneck is set to host Arundel on Thursday.

St. Mary's 56, Broadneck 50

Half: SM, 24-22.

SM: Groce 18, Morgan-Green 15, Quinn 6, Hoffman 5, Galligan 4, Hercules 4, Snipes 4. Totals 20 13-21 56.

BN: Hicks 24, Hunt 11, Moore 6, Byes 4, Ricker 3, Jacobsen 2. Totals 21 8-18 50.