HYANNIS — The St. John Paul II basketball Lions — boys and girls — are kicking things into full gear. With the postseason looming quickly upon the near horizon, both St. John Paul II varsity basketball teams picked up key league victories this weekend over Cape & Islands League rival Sturgis East. Head coach David Harrison’s boys (11-4) downed The Storm, 66-36, while the St. John Paul II girls (12-2) quickly outpaced the Sturgis East squad, 50-20.
Sturgis East’s Jacob Tobey (23) poured in 24 points Saturday but it was not enough as the St. John Paul II Lions ran away with a 66-36 win. Kevin Marsh (34) had 10 points for the Lions.
Sean Walsh/capecod.com sports
Harrison’s Lions took their record to 11-4 with the win, while The Storm fell to 6-9. The Lions clinched a postseason berth last week, while Sturgis East still has a chance to do so this week.
The Storm’s 1,000-point scorer Jacob Tobey led all scorers in the loss with 24 points, while three Lions finished in the double digits. Lions’ junior forward Jonny Warden poured in a team-high 15 points on the day, and included six steals. Fellow Lions Kevin Marsh and Ryan Bradley finished with 10 and 12 points, respectively.
It was nice to see Lions’ top athlete Ryan Barabe make his comeback, just as things begin heating up for the postseason. Barabe had not played yet this season due to injury and he turned in a fine two-point, seven-rebound performance off the bench as he worked his way back into the mix.
St. John Paul II took an early lead after the first quarter, 15-12, and built that lead into a 33-24 halftime advantage. That spread skyrocketed in the third quarter as the hosts turned up the heat considerably with a 21-2, no-holds-barred effort in the third quarter. By the end of three quarters, the Lions were up 54-26, en route to the 66-36 finale. Bradley also added six rebounds in the effort to go along with his 12 points. All 12 of St. John Paul’s 12 fourth quarter points came via the three-pointer as Jack Manning, Marsh and Bradley (2) drained four downtown bombs to carry out the victory. The Lions next face Monomoy at home on Thursday (Feb. 12) at 7:00 pm at a site to be determined.
The St. John Paul II girls basketball team – Haylee Whiteley (2), Katie Wojciechowski (10), Olivia Bengston (22) and Jess Tierney (1) discuss the game plan with asst. coach Mike Andrews in Lions’ hoop action last week. The Lady Lions are tied for first place with Falmouth Academy in the Cape & Islands League standings.
Sean Walsh/capecod.com sports
St. John Paul II Lions Girls – 50
Sturgis East Storm – 20
Head Coach Mike Tierney’s girls flipped things back into high gear Saturday afternoon, outpacing the guests by a 30-point margin and matched their counterpart boys’ team point-for-point in the nightcap of this weekend twinbill, en route to a 50-30 finale.
Senior forward Kaia Whiteley led all scorers with 16 points, followed by freshman guard Katie Wojciechowski who had 11 points. Sturgis East’s Izzy Roberge was the high scorer for The Storm with 9 points.
The Storm had a tough day at the free throw line, shooting 3-12 and had no players finish in the double digits.
Host St. John Paul II jumped out to a 16-6 first quarter lead and held The Storm to just one field goal over the next two quarters en route to a 44-8 lead by the end of three frames. The Lions simmered down in the fourth quarter as the Storm jumped back with 12 points, but the damage had been done.
St. John Paul II is tied for first place with Falmouth Academy in the Cape and Islands League and is 12-2 overall. The Lady Lions face likely their most formidable foe on Wednesday at home at 6:30 pm when Greater New Bedford Voke comes to the cavernous Hyannis Youth and Community Center. Voke gave St. John Paul II its first loss of the season back on January 13.
— Sean Walsh is the sports editor for www.capecod.com. His email is [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @coachwalshccbm
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