by CLEVELAND, Ohio–During a season already full of challenges and variance, St. Edward head coach Eric Flannery decided Friday night to make another change preparing for Benedictine.
He used a starting five that consisted of players who normally don’t start, let alone play valuable minutes, which helped pave the way for an offensive explosion as a team.
“The whole point was to try to get some guys who normally don’t play some minutes an opportunity to play some key minutes and I thought they did really well,” Flannery said. “We stretched out the defense and they kind of lasted the whole first quarter.
“I was just proud to see the way the guys supported each other tonight and that’s what it was really about,” he continued. “It was about putting them in uncomfortable situations and overall I thought it was really good.”
The Eagles buried 13 three-pointers as a team, with seven different players making at least one, to improve the team’s record to 4-0 following the 82-63 win.
Benedictine started the game off trading baskets with the Eagles as junior forward London Maiden got off to an impressive start for the Bengals inside the paint.
It was a 13-2 run for St. Edward to end the final five minutes of the opening quarter that really set them up for an impressive shooting display throughout the second quarter.
That’s when senior guard Shane Macalla caught fire.
After not scoring in the opening quarter, he helped spark an 11-2 run to open up the quarter– including knocking down two 3-pointers to set the tone closing the first half.
St. Eds opens the second up strong, with a couple 3s, including two from Shane Macalla. The Eagles lead 32-14, opening the quarter on an 11-2 run. pic.twitter.com/XXNTwffwbr
— Michael Trivisonno (@MichaelTriv_) December 18, 2020
That was the start of a 33-13 second quarter scoring advantage for the Eagles, as they pushed their lead to 54-25 heading into halftime.
St, Eds ends the first half on a high note, with a layup as time expires. Eagles lead 54-25. pic.twitter.com/LaqgYVv0Pq
— Michael Trivisonno (@MichaelTriv_) December 18, 2020
“I told our athletic director we got to switch hoops,” Stircula chuckled. “Because that first half, they had nine threes on that hoop and last year when we played Rhodes, they came out and made seven threes. I mean it’s just something about that rim and it gives the visiting team a big boost to get off to a good start on the road.”
The shooting clinic continued to start the second half for Flannery and his team, but Benedictine started to settle down and start a scoring run of its own.
A corner 3-pointer from junior Zyion Freer-Brown pushed the Eagle lead to a game-high 32 points with three and a half minutes left in the third quarter.
Sam Brown and the Bengals ended the quarter on a 9-0 run, cutting the deficit to 23 after three quarters. The Eagle lead never got under 15 points following, as transition baskets came as a premium for Flannery’s team.
“They sped us up with their pressure and we got some new guys that haven’t had a chance to make decisions before and they kind of played right into their game so that hurt us to get going,” Stircula said. “We played right into their hands when you want to play fast.”
For the Eagles, Myles Reynolds led the way with 14 points and four assists, along with Michal Bova and Macalla each adding 12 points to pace the team.
Senior guard Detric Hearst led the way for Benedictine with a game-high 19 points, followed up with Sam Brown’s 17 and London Maiden’s 13 points to lead the way during the loss.
Flannery is pleased with the way his players have responded to start the season after missing out on a couple of games and practices early due to the coronavirus. He’s not relying on one player to make it all happen this year as his three seniors have worked their way into imperative roles throughout the first four games.
“I’m really impressed with the way we are sharing the ball and it’s really not just one guy,” Flannery said. “We got three seniors that haven’t played for three years that have been waiting for their turn and they are taking advantage of that.
“I think [my guys] are surprising people around here and maybe surprising me a little bit by just winning the way they’ve been winning early but I know the talent has been there and I know it’s just a matter of getting their opportunities.”
