Former Cardinal Gibbons athletes made their mark throughout the fall sports season for various schools and the winter figures see even more Crusaders having an impact in new locations. Three of them were in action Saturday afternoon, all making big contributions for the Archbishop Spalding boys basketball team, which opened its season with a 76-67 win over Riverdale Baptsit.
Eric Fisher, Ryan Flynn and Chris Kemp, all made their way to Spalding this fall after the closing of Gibbons and the trio combined for almost half of the Cavaliers’ points on Saturday.
Fisher poured in eight straight points to start the second half, and Flynn nailed three third quarter three’s for coach Derrick Lewis’ quint, helping the Cavs take a 57-41 lead that they would never relinquish.
After trailing 15-10 at the end of the first quarter, Fisher ignited a 26-point second quarter outburst that gave the Cavs a 36-26 half-time lead. His strong inside game allowed the Cavs to go on a 21-6 run that erased the first quarter deficit.
Kemp played a steady game inside for Leiws against a tough Riverdale front line. Five different players finished in double figures for Spalding. Garrett Snoops led the way with 15, followed by Fisher with 14, while Greg Brown added 12, Flynn had 11 and Kemp finished with 10.
The Cavs shot a blistering 95% from the free throw line on the day (20-21). They made 11-12 from the stripe in the fourth quarter when Riverdale cut a 13 point Spalding lead to three with 2:11 to go in the game. Fisher, Brown and Snoops converted when they had too down the stretch to secure the win. (Brown was 4-for-4 and Snoops hit 5-of-6).
Riverdale’s Keon Hill lead all scorers with 16, and Olajuwon Lewis had 14 for coach Lou Wilson.
Wilson’s team, which was 19-12 last season, plays an independent schedule.
“We have a strong team this year, and we will again play a tough schedule,” sad the veteran coach, who starts his 11th season at the helm of the Upper Marlboro school.
Wilson’s team outscored Spalding in the final quarter 21-17, but it wasn’t enough.
“We needed that team effort,” said Leiws. “That’s the most important thing for us right now; making that extra pass, and helping on defense. The guys played hard.”
The contributions from the former Crusaders was not lost on Lewis.
“They’ve been a big boost to us; they’ve picked up everything we try to do. It’s a work in progress, they’re making adjustments, and I’m proud of them.”
In addition to the torrid shooting from the foul line, the Cavs hit eight threes on the day. It’s the type of consistency Spalding will need to be in contention in the Baltimore Catholic League and the MIAA A Conference, which starts for the Cavs when they host the defending MIAA champion St. Frances on December 14.
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| Archbishop Spalding 76, Riverdale Baptist 67 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Riverdale Baptist: Hill 16, Lewis 14, Durant 11, Henderson 10, Peel 8, Scott 4, Dodson 2, Tolson 2. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Archbishop Spalding: Snoops 15, Fisher 14, Brown 12, Flynn 11, Kemp 10, Potts 9, Dalce 5. |
