Depth, balance keys for St. Viator
St. Viator made Mike Howland's head coaching debut something he can always remember with a smile.
The Lions also gave him the opportunity for several "coachable moments" in their 71-52 basketball victory over Walther Lutheran on Monday in the first round of St. Viator's 35th Annual Thanksgiving Basketball Tournament at Cahill Gym.
A 16-1 run to end the first quarter gave St. Viator a comfortable 22-10 lead. The game turned into parade to the free throw line. The teams combined for 48 personal fouls and 60 free-throw attempts.
"It's hard when you're always stopping," said junior Pat Martin, who led St. Viator's balanced offense with 13 points. "You can't think about it. You've got to play your own game."
Eleven Lions scored. Kevin Walsh scored 12, and Chris Myjak added 10. Sophomore Ore Arogundade started and scored 9 points.
"We want depth to be a weapon," Howland said. "We feel we can go 10 deep, keep them fresh and use it to our advantage.
"We don't have one or two guys to key on. I thought we played a great game considering the stoppages.
"We did a lot of reaching and slapping with our hands instead of moving our feet. We've got a lot of work to do on the defensive end. We made some defensive mistakes we need to make right."
Martin and freshman Mark Falotico (8 points) gave the Lions a boost when they needed it the most. Guard D.J. Morris left the game for most of the second quarter after suffering a broken nose. He returned to action in the second half.
"Pat and Mark were both awesome off the bench," Howland said. "They gave us a huge lift when we were in foul trouble."
"Our defense allows everyone to get into their rhythm," said Walsh. "It was a good performance overall."
St. Viator led 22-10 after one quarter and 38-24 at halftime. The Broncos' Patrell Green scored 17 of his game-high 21 points in the first half.
The Lions' largest lead came late in the third quarter when a pair of free throws by Myjak gave them a 58-32 lead.
The Lions' next game is 7:30 p.m. Wednesday against Highland Park. Walther Lutheran plays Conant today at 6 p.m.