Offensive rebounding keys Marmion’s win
With its two tallest players missing, Marmion needed to find an alternative method to deny St. Edward Friday night.
The Cadets found a remedy as the Green Wave three-guard attack features none of its backcourt members taller than 5-feet-10.
Marmion had 11 offensive rebounds in the first half alone and used a 14-0 first-quarter run as the centerpiece of its 55-45 Suburban Christian crossover boys basketball victory over St. Edward in Aurora.
“It was nice to play right away,” Marmion coach Ryan Paradise said of the Cadets’ quick turnaround after a defeat to Aurora Christian on Thursday. “You never want to sit on a loss too long.”
Six-5 Marmion post Pete Stefanski is still nursing an ankle injury suffered over the holidays and 6-4 Ryan Glasgow was on a football recruiting visit.
A.J. Friedman picked up the slack, though his 2 points completely belied his impact on the game.
The Cadets’ forward had a game-high 11 rebounds, and Friedman more or less dictated the flow of the Marmion offense with his penetration and passing skills.
“It all started with A.J. Friedman attacking the paint,” said sixth-man Alex Theisen, who scored 14 points to lead the Cadets’ attack.
In the opening minutes, Marmion (9-7) quickly erased the only tie of the game at 2-2 with 14 consecutive points.
A.J. Bohr had 8 of his 12 points in the first quarter as Marmion raced to an 18-5 lead after eight minutes.
St. Edward (5-10) obliged the hosts by missing 9 of their 11 first-quarter field-goal attempts, but the Green Wave clamped down its defensive end in the second quarter.
The Wave received a much-needed boost from senior guard Eddie O’Halloran.
After misfiring on his first 3 attempts from the floor, the southpaw, operating efficiently in the Wave offense, connected on 8 field goals over the last three quarters to lead all players with 16 points.
“Coming off of screens, I was able to elevate and hit my jumpers,” O’Halloran said. “Usually when I hit my first couple (of shots), I am able to get into a flow.”
St. Edward reduced its one-time 14-point deficit in half midway through the third quarter, but Marmion was able to restore its double-digit cushion as Colin Kavanaugh had 6 of his 10 points in the third.
Jeff Garofalo had an off-night from the floor by his standards, but the Marmion senior guard had a critical 4-point play early in the fourth to reclaim the Cadets’ largest lead of the game to 14 points.
St. Edward would close that in half on a Troy Johnson 3-point play, but Theisen scored the Cadets’ final 6 points to close out the Wave.
“I play better off the bench,” Theisen said. “I guess you could say (I was) the sparkplug.”
Johnson finished with 9 points for St. Edward.
“We spotted them 10 or 12 points right off the bat — and that’s what we lost by,” Green Wave coach PJ White said. “Our (lack of) size hurts us.”