DETROIT — In the mind of Pat Donnelly, coach of University of Detroit Jesuit, the Cubs’ 63-54 vanquish last Friday evening of Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Prep was “typical” Catholic League basketball: “notoriously physical.”
The victory put U of D in charge of its own destiny in the Catholic High School League’s Central Division with a 2-0 record (4-0 overall) and may even bump the Cubs up a notch or two from its pre-season No. 4 ranking among state Division 1 schools.
For the Eaglets (1-1 league, 2-2 overall), the defending Division 1 state champ and pre-season No. 1, it was a bitter loss after escaping with a last-second 54-53 win over Toledo St. John Jesuit a week earlier.
St. Mary’s seized a 10-3 lead to open the game — which turned out to their biggest lead of the game — only to see it reduced to 33-28 at halftime.
It’s no secret that Michigan-bound Trey McKenney is the engine that drives St. Mary’s fortunes. “Our strategy,” U of D’s equivalent to McKenny, Leroy Blyden, explained after the game, “was to rough him up. Don’t let him get comfortable. Don’t let him get going.”
They made their point on McKenney’s first triple attempt early in the second quarter. The Cubs’ 6-foot-4 senior forward Xavier Johnson collided with McKenney as he took the shot.
The ball went in the net, officials whistled a foul and gave McKenney a few moments to collect his wits before making a free throw to complete a four-point play.
Officials called nearly two dozen fouls in the game.
“I told them to be aggressive,” Donnelly said. “I was happy the way they responded. In the second half our defense did a better job contesting for the ball and rebounding a little bit better. When we play with that kind of energy, it sparks some things. Our defense can create offense in transition. That sets the tone.”
Blyden, a slender 6-foot-1 senior guard committed to Toledo, triggered the comeback with a 39-point career performance that featured four triples. A pair helped U of D take the lead for the first time, 47-46, near the end of the third quarter and set the Cubs on the path for the victory.
McKenney, under heavy man-to-man defense, scored 13 points in the first half before a leg cramp hobbled him early in the third quarter. He was in obvious distress. He scored a pair of baskets in the third quarter and two free throws with two minutes to play in the fourth. In between he missed 10 shots, including an airball triple. His 19 points drew him to within 50 points of tying the school record of 1,688 held by Kalen Lucas.
The Eaglets’ senior guard Sharod Barnes (16 points) also suffered a leg cramp that forced him to the sidelines for a few minutes in the third quarter.
Condensation caused by the combination of frigid 18-degree weather outside and heat generated by a packed gymnasium led to nearly dozen interruptions in play to wipe up the floor.
It was reminiscent of a similar situation in a game a couple of years ago between these two rivals at Orchard Lake. The game was suspended and completed the next morning.
Elsewhere in the Central Division: Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (5-1; 1-1) slipped past Warren De La Salle (2-5; 0-2), 68-67. The Pilots travel to St. Mary’s on Friday evening, Dec. 20.
It was a lost weekend for Novi Detroit Catholic Central (4-2; 1-1), both away from home: Friday in Toledo, 51-41 to Central Catholic (2-0; 1-0), and Saturday, on the other side of the state, 68-55 to Hudsonville.
Contact Don Horkey at [email protected].
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