Miller’s boys basketball team has been looking for a fast start this year. Friday night in the Mavericks’ home opener they came out of the gate strong, and eventually, after surviving a lot of scratching and clawing by St. Anne’s-Belfield, Miller also got a win.
“I think it was different for our guys coming out of the locker room and seeing their fans, the gym they’re used to playing in,” said Miller coach Danny Manuel. “We got off to a good start.”
The Mavericks held on to beat the Saints 67-64, jumping out to a 16-2 advantage and then holding on thanks to solid free throw shooting and a balanced offensive attack.
After that miserable start, STAB got to work and eventually tied the game at 38-38 early in the third quarter. It was no easy task as Miller’s defense made an array of blocks and pressured the Saints relentlessly in the halfcourt early on.
“I told them at the half, you got punched in the mouth and you fought your way back,” said STAB coach Brian Kent.
But Miller countered with a 6-0 run capped by a strong drive, make and drawn foul by Chance Sheffey, who finished with 17 to lead the Mavericks. From there, STAB couldn’t ever really take control as Miller was consistent at the charity stripe and got enough offense from the field, in large part thanks to Sheffey, to keep STAB at bay.
“Chance has a lot to play for because there are a lot of schools looking at him but haven’t offered him,” Manuel said. “I think he’s got a lot to prove and he’s playing with a chip on his shoulder. He’s playing against good guards every night and playing really well.”
Miller also got solid offensive performances from Ron Alston (5 points including 8-for-10 from the line) and Tyler Creammer (14 points). Jaylin Reed carried the load for the Mavericks in the first half with a trio of 3-pointers as part of a 14-point outing.
“I’ve been on Jaylin Reed a lot to do the little things and I thought he was rebounding tonight, was making shots, got second chance shots and played good defense,” Manuel said. “I was really happy with the way everybody played.”
After a ton of near misses and a wild scramble with under seven seconds left off an intentionally missed free throw by Jayden Nixon, STAB got one more chance with a little more than a second on the clock. A solid long pass by Nic Kent gave Javin DeLaurier a chance at a near halfcourt shot, but it careened off the backboard as Miller celebrated the narrow win.
DeLaurier scored 29 points on the night, including 10 in the fourth quarter and as he emerged from the Saints’ team-wide early funk, he forced Miller to switch to a zone to try and contain him. He drew a lot of defensive focus, and that opened things up for Matt Palumbo from beyond the arc. Palumbo hit five three pointers to handle the bulk of his 17-point output, with four of the 3-pointers coming in the second half.
“His teammates are confident in him, he steps into his shot, he can knock it down,” Kent said.
The Saints were without a couple of key members of the rotation including Jalen Harrison who was out after playing against Blue Ridge.
STAB will host Woodberry Forest Tuesday while Miller gets a break for exams before taking on Colonial Forge December 19.
