BOYS BASKETBALL: Patriots put away O’Hara

By Jay Skurski
Niagara Gazette

NIAGARA FALLS February 03, 2007 12:14 am

— With his team tied after three quarters Friday night, Niagara Catholic boys basketball coach Chuck Sprigg had a simple question before the final eight minutes.
“I just asked the guys ‘Who wants it more?’ ” Sprigg said.
The Patriots showed they did on this night, using a 13-0 run to start the fourth quarter on their way to a 72-59 victory over the Cardinal O’Hara Hawks in a matchup of Monsignor Martin Athletic Association schools.
Dyrell Dolson was a force on the glass for the Patriots, putting up 23 points — several of which came on second and third attempts — and pulling down 20 rebounds in the win.
“He’s our Charles Barkley of the inside,” Sprigg said of Dolson.
The Patriots jumped out to a 21-16 lead after the first quarter, as Dolson had 10 points.
O’Hara, which had a four-game win streak snapped with the loss, rebounded with a strong second quarter, outscoring Niagara Catholic 17-13 to trail by just one, 34-33, at halftime.
The Hawks, though, fell victim to too much individual play on offense, as just two players, Garrison Gross and James Ewing, scored in the third quarter.
O’Hara also failed to match Niagara Catholic’s defensive intensity.
“The biggest thing was the help-side defense wasn’t there,” O’Hara coach Sil Dan said. “They would drive the lane and our guys would just watch them go by.”
The Patriots used an effective half-court trap to start the fourth quarter, turning a 49-49 tie into a 62-49 lead. Five different players scored in the final eight minutes for Niagara Catholic.
“We executed very well in the fourth,” Sprigg said. “We played our best quarter of the season there.”
Dan couldn’t say the same for his team, but he vowed to use the loss as a motivational team.
“Maybe this is something we needed to bring us back to reality,” he said. “We forgot everything we did for the past four games.”
Jeremiah Jones added 18 points for Niagara Catholic in the win, while A.J. Roberts had 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Patriots (13-5 overall, 3-3 MMAA).
Garrison Gross led O’Hara (8-11, 2-4) with 23 points, while James Ewing had 20 in defeat.

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