by LYNDHURST, Ohio- St. Vincent-St. Mary senior guard Isaiah Ingol is the type of player that does the little things to help his team win, not always stuffing the stat sheet with numbers. Sophomore point guard Ramar Pryor came off the bench and finished the night with a game-high 24 points. According to head coach Dru Joyce, it’s Ingol’s leadership role that gives the team the spark they need.
“Isaiah is our leader,” Joyce explained. “He does all the stuff that doesn’t get in the stat sheet. It’s that vocal leadership and making some of the other guys understand the leeway. That’s what is important and that’s why we’ve been good.”
With the Irish able to establish a couple of scoring runs to end the first half, St. Vincent-St. Mary was able to take down Brush, 76-46 in the final game of the second annual Chet Mason Invitational.
Both teams came out in the opening quarter trading away baskets. After the first quarter, the game was tied at 10 apiece with Brush’s John Hugley scoring all 10 of his team’s points.
That was as close as the Arcs would get from that point forward. In fact, the Irish started the first three minutes of the second quarter on an 11-4 run. From there, St. Vincent-St. Mary kept its foot on the gas, eventually outscoring the Arcs 23-4 in the quarter to take a commanding 33-14 lead heading into halftime.
Part of the early success for the Irish was the ability to get on scoring runs while limiting Brush’s John Hugley when he got the ball. Head coach Dru Joyce explained that there was no way to really stop Pitt commit John Hugley, the only way was to contain him inside the paint.
“We just wanted to contain [John Hugley} and make it hard on him,” Joyce explained. “I thought we played him pretty well considering who he is.”
For Brush, John Hugley paced the offense with a team-high 23 points and 10 rebounds, later taking home team MVP honors as well. Sophomore Elmore James contributed with eight points followed up with Tyler Williams pitching in five points.
The Arcs never got within 18 points in the second half as the Irish were able to maintain a 20-point lead for most of the second half.
For the Irish, Marcus Johnson complemented Pryor’s 24 points with 16 of his own along with Austin Rayman contributing with eight points off the bench. Sophomore Sencire Harris also had a big night, stuffing the stat sheet with 7 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 blocks.
“We were able to establish a lead and hold the lead with Malaki and Marcus in foul trouble,” Joyce said. “Sencire is growing into the player we need him to be. He’s now been able to find his place and exert himself into these moments.”
