Patriots make it 13 straightNot all of their shots were falling, Monday night, but the John Carroll Patriots entered Havre de Grace High School undefeated and played well enough to walk out of they Harford County gymnasium still undefeated, 56-41.
“This was probably our worst effort of they year, and not to take anything away from Havre de Grace,” Patriot coach Tony Martin said. “It is always tough when you have off school; kids always seem to have a different routine, and I thought we slept walk through most of the game. But to go on the road against a very athletic team and win by 15, you’ll take it.”
The Patriots are taking the win that saw just a six-point deficit for the Warriors heading into the locker room at the half, but errant passes and turnovers would lead to the eventual win for John Carroll.
John Carroll’s Malcolm McMillan had a solid performance on the night, scoring 20 points and going a perfect six-for-six from the line, and shared the Pats’ only two three-pointers with teammate Ronald Scott, who contributed 13 points to the team final.
Solid defensive pressure led to three Havre de Grace inbounds being picked-off in the early goings of the game, allowing the Pats to take a 13-3 lead in the first quarter, and doubling the ball kept the Warriors to just a nine-point third.
“We thought we could pressure them,” martin said, whose team shot 12-of-13 free-throws and gave Havre de Grace chances for 21 free points. “That is more who we are than a scouting report of who they are. They had some shots at the end of the first half that made it interesting, but we weren’t really threatened.”
Darin Washington and Bond were the two Warriors responsible for keeping the game from getting out of control; Washington scoring four of his eight game-points at the line, and Bond adding a late game three-pointer to his 10-point night.
“A win is a win, and we just take it on to the next game,” Martin said. “It’s a cliché, but we are really good at just taking it one game at a time.”
John Carroll will play host to another UCBAC team this Wednesday in C. Milton Wright, while the defending conference champion Warriors prepare for a showdown with Joppatowne, Tuesday.
