Essex rolls to 73-51 victory after dominant first quarter
Toolbox
By Tom Herzig Correspondent - Published: January 14, 2009
ESSEX – The Essex boys basketball team outscored Spaulding 15-0 in the final four minutes of the first quarter and went on to earn a 73-51 victory on Tuesday.
The game wasn't as close as the final score, as the Hornets led 41-16 at the half and held a 58-28 lead after three quarters.
Spaulding tried to make do with a zone defense and got shot of the gym. Essex made 17 of its first 31 attempts and finished the night with a 56 percent mark (30-of-54). Nine different Hornets made the first shot they took and five players sank at least one 3-pointer.
The Hornets' in-your-shirt, man-to-man defense also took its toll. Spaulding was tentative offensively and committed 19 turnovers, 12 of which came in the first half. The rebounding stats told the same story. Essex hauled down 19 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive boards. Spaulding totaled 22 rebounds, including four by Lucas Dutil and three by Matt Ballard in the fourth quarter. Dutil had an excellent fourth quarter, scoring seven points with a steal to go along with four boards.
Demir Smajovic led Essex with 19 points in 16 minutes. Teammate Chris Bogue came off the bench to score 11 points, while Josh Stewart chipped in with nine points.
Ballard was the leading scorer for Spaulding with 11 points. The Tide senior also had three steals, two blocks and eight rebounds. Teammates Taylor English and Evan Tullar scored eight points apiece, while Shane Hart added a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter.
"We just didn't bring it defensively at the start and they shot great," said Tide assistant coach Ryan Dunlea, who took over Tuesday for coach Mike Mislak while he was attending the arrival of his newborn daughter. "The guys hung in there and played with heart in the second half and I'm appreciative of that."
The Spaulding junior varsity improved to 8-2 with a 52-48 overtime win, aided by late baskets from Tyler Carrier and Josh Blouin. The Tide varsity team falls to 6-6 and will travel to play CVU on Thursday.
Essex 73, Spaulding 51
SPAULDING (51)
Durham 1 0-0 2, Blouin 1 0-2 2, Matz 2 1-3 5, Tullar 3 2-2 8, Ballard 4 3-3 11, Hickey 0 2-2 2, English 4 0-0 8, Hart 0 1 0-0 3, Lawson 1 1-2 3, Dutil 1 1 2-2 7. Totals: 17 2 11-16 51.
ESSEX (73)
Ferris 3 0-0 6, Bogue 4 1 0-1 11, Auger 1 0-0 2, Smajovic 5 2 3-4 19, McCrea 0 0-0 0, Taylor 2 1 0-0 7, Salerno 1 0-0 2, Nee 1 0-0 2, Librizzi 3 0-0 6, Begin 2 1 0-0 7, Valley 1 0-0 2, Zane 0 0-0 0, Stewart 1 2 1-2 9 Totals 24 7 4-7 73.
Spaulding 8 8 12 23 – 51
Essex 25 16 17 15 – 73
Three-pointers: E – Stewart (2), Smajovic (2), Taylor, Bogue. Begin. S – Hart, Dutil. Fouled Out: None
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