Dominance. That’s about the only word that fits what Miller’s boys basketball team unleashed in the third quarter of the Mavericks’ 73-70 win over St. Anne’s-Belfield.
They may have fallen dormant again after that frame, but Miller’s incredible 20-1 third quarter gave the Mavericks enough of an advantage to hold off a hard-charging STAB squad that made things interesting late.
“I lost it a bit in the locker room,” said Miller’s Scott Willard. “We cut the full court pressure and focused on one thing (our defense). We really made a statement on what we can be and can do.”
Andrew White scored eight of the 20 points during the run, including the first four that kicked things into gear. Brandon Bolden also got into the act, assisting White once and scoring once. Four other Mavericks also scored as Miller got into the flow of the offense and showed the balance and depth many expected from the revamped and deeply talented squad before the season started.
“We changed the look up and I think everybody just wanted to turn it up,” White said. “We just wanted to push it a little bit. We’re still working on our chemistry, and with a lot of talent it takes some time. It’s starting to come together a little bit.”
White finished with 19 points while Janeil Jenkins chipped in 13 and Chase Cannon had 12. Cannon and Jenkins also had three assists each.
Even just four games into the season, STAB is all too familiar with that kind of third quarter. The Saints have struggled coming out of the half during each of their contests while going 1-3.
“I think we’ve had four fourth quarters like that,” STAB coach Brian Kent said. “Not that bad, but pretty bad. But I’m very proud of their effort, we really took a step forward tonight.”
The way the Saints played the other three quarters gives Kent and his staff reason to think the 1-3 start might not be indicative of the rest of the year. Kodie Critzer led the way with 21 hard-fought points, and nobody in a STAB uniform backed down from the big, physical Miller group.
The Saints also have found a pair of players who can help Jordan Davis in the post in Brett Johnson and Jeff Jones. Jones finished with eight points while Johnson had a really strong night with 14 points.
“I think Brett really had the game of his career,” Kent said. “Last year he was on the team and broke his wrist, the year before that he was on J.V. and broke his leg so kind of his first year back. The kid can shoot and he’s smart—he showed leadership and a lot of energy on the court.”
The Saints had a chance to tie it as time ran out in regulation, but Johnson couldn’t connect on a tough last second 3-pointer off a set play out of a timeout. Miller kept the pressure on down the stretch with a timely bucket by Jenkins and a key free throw from White with 18.8 seconds left that forced STAB to take a 3-pointer.
