Marmion responds to Montini rally

The Marmion boys basketball team expected Montini to make a third-quarter run on its home floor.

And the Broncos did just that, completely erasing a 10-point deficit.

But the Cadets quickly regrouped and pulled away to a 67-56 victory Friday night in the Catholic League North matchup in Lombard.

"That's what we talked about at halftime, we knew they would make a run," Marmion coach Joe Currie said. "It's a credit to them, they kept battling. What I was most proud of is we kept our composure. That's the nature of this group, even in the summer, when we gave buckets up, that didn't bother them. They just played the next possession. And again today, they just played each possession."

The visitors pulled out to a 39-29 advantage at halftime, thanks in large part to eight first quarter points by Michael Seraphin and a pair of 3-pointers from Joshua Ruddy in the second. The Broncos, who stayed alive by hitting six 3-pointers before halftime, then went on a 16-6 run, knotting up the score at 45-45 on a bucket by Jayston Williams.

Marmion regained the lead on an offensive rebound and basket by Michael Sullivan with 46.8 seconds left in the third quarter, which was the start of a 14-4 spurt. The Cadets hit 14 free throws down the stretch to ice the game.

Seraphin and Matthew Fletcher topped their squad with 14 points each. Sullivan contributed 11 points and 11 rebounds and Jonathan Young produced 8 points and 11 rebounds.

"Playing as a team, that really helped," Seraphin said. "And keeping our composure was a key for us, we stuck together. We were hitting shots when we needed them and we were getting open people the ball. That made a big difference today."

Williams led Montini with 19 points and 8 rebounds. Jack Westerkamp reached double figures with 10 points and Raymond Dennis hit a trio of 3-pointers.

"We are young and we have to play possession basketball," Broncos coach Daryl Thomas said. "We made a really, really good run to get back into it but then our immaturity kind of kicked in. We took a few bad shots in a row. Going forward, we have to be a lot more conscious of that. We are taking our lumps now and hopefully that pays off later. And we didn't quit, they really left it out there on the floor."