Sullivan Puts Shamrocks Out-of-Luck In 64-33 Win

Courtwarming spirits inspired the Eagles to soar over New Haven in a 64-33 home victory on Friday, Feb. 9.

Head coach Dino McKinney was impressed with Sullivan’s performance in tallying a season-high score against the Shamrocks. “Getting some easy baskets off of our press is what led to us scoring more points Friday night, as well as some guys who had been struggling from the outside stepping up and knocking down some shots when we needed them,” he stated.

New Haven kicked off the game with an early 5-point lead. Guards Landen Doza and Seth Valley grabbed three free throws to rally the Eagles ahead.

Junior guard Chris Glaser gripped the ball out of a Shamrock’s grasp and fast broke for 2, then Doza nailed a 3 to tie it 8-8.

The rest of the first quarter saw the Eagles still trying to soar ahead to a lead. They tied it again 10-10 as senior forward Max Avery blocked the ball from the basket, allowing it to fall into sophomore guard Peyton Malady’s grasp, who would march down for a layup.

To cap off an intense opening period, New Haven freshman Weston Hecktor drove down for a buzzer-beating score, giving the Shamrocks a 12-10 lead.

The tides began to turn in the second quarter for Sullivan. Malady set the tone by sinking a three-pointer, while senior guard Matthew Mallory sailed in two back-to-back triples to give Sullivan a 19-16 lead.

As the gym shook and the Courtwarming spirits infused the Eagles with life, they fired on all cylinders for the rest of the game, and New Haven never regained the lead.

Malady continued to net three-pointers, making a total of 6 in the game. He led with a team-high 22 points and four steals while racking up four rebounds.

St. Francis Borgia toppled the JV Eagles 51-33 in the opening game of the Courtwarming doubleheader.

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