Spaulding hammers Lyndon
Toolbox
By Kris Martin Correspondent - Published: January 6, 2009
BARRE There is a point in every basketball game where a fan can tell which way things are going to go. Sometimes you have to wait until the final seconds, and at others times you can tell almost immediately.
The Spaulding boys basketball team put an 82-45 beating on Lyndon Monday, and it was the blossoming Evan Tullar who provided the early exclamation point.
Tullar found himself all alone and caught an outlet pass to beat the first-quarter clock with a two-handed dunk, giving his team a 12-9 edge as the buzzer sounded on Monday. The Vikings never recovered as Tullar went out to lead his team with 24 points in the victory.
While the Tide's record may be a mediocre 4-5, continued development over the season has made Spaulding a team worth watching. The emergence of Tullar as a force slashing to the hoop coupled with the poised presence of seniors Matt Ballard (13 points) and Ethan Blouin (nine points) bodes well for a group of guys who are starting to buy into the "team" concept.
That concept has been one of Tide coach Mike Mislak's daily reminders.
"I was most impressed with our defense and pressure," Mislak said. "It is nice to get some highlights for the crowd, but a nice thing to mention is that the bench contributed 25 points and everybody on the team got into the scoring column. The team concept helps build confidence and morale. It's the old clichι of trying to put 32 minutes of good basketball together. The boys are working hard."
For Tullar, just a sophomore, the word "team" has an even greater meaning.
"I was trying to get everyone involved and the bench really stepped up and did their part," Tullar said. "You have to play together in order to win together."
Senior Jake Garfield dropped in 16 points for the Vikings with Michael Cartularo contributing eight points and sniper Jimmy Lau scoring seven points.
"Spaulding is a very competitive opponent," Lyndon coach Mark Smith said. "They're definitely working their way up in the D-I ranks and will need to be reckoned with in the middle of the pack. Defensively, I thought we did OK holding them to 27 points in the first half."
There is no dominant interior presence cleaning up mistakes in the paint for the Tide defense this year, and for that reason their defense is geared toward creating turnovers, getting into the passing lanes and converting on the break. The crowd got an eyeful in the second half as the Vikings tried to feed the post and the Tide just kept chugging away.
Senior James Durham gave up his body on the right side of the floor to induce a charge call in the third quarter, and the Tide opened a 39-21 advantage after Tullar floated across the lane for an easy basket on the following drive. Codie Lawson then manufactured two points with a nice spinning drive through the paint for a 41-21 lead. Tullar opened the fourth with a 3-pointer from the wing and chased it with a two-handed hammer on the break. Both teams emptied their benches as the Tide cruised to the 82-45 final.
Spaulding will host Mount Mansfield at 7 p.m. on Thursday.
Spaulding 82, Lyndon 45
LYNDON (45)
Rosengren 0 0-0 0, Riendeau 1 0-2 2, Courser 0 0-2 0, Uchendu 0 0-0 0, Garfield 6 4-8 16, Greenwood 0 1 0-0 3, Simpson 0 0-0 0, Keefer 1 3-3 5, Petterson 0 0-0 0, Lau 1 1 2-5 7, Lin 0 2-2 2, Cartularo 2 2-3 8, Bishop 0 2-2 2, Totals 12 2 15-27 45.
SPAULDING (82)
Durham 0 3-5 3, Hickey 1 4-5 6, Blouin 1 1 4-7 9, Matz 3 2-2 8, English 1 0-0 2, Tullar 9 1 3-4 24, Hart 1 0-0 2, Lawson 3 2-2 8, Ballard 3 7-8 13, Dutil 3 1-3 7, Totals 25 2 26-36 82.
Lyndon 9 8 12 16 45
Spaulding 12 15 23 32 82
Three-pointers: L Lau, Greenwood. S Tullar, Blouin. Fouled out: None.
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