MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — The St Mary’s Pirates emerged victorious on the road against Manitou Springs, winning 72-66 despite a second half comeback effort from the Mustangs.
Jeremiah Starr led the way for St Mary’s with 23 points, 17 of those coming in the second half. Michael Trechter chipped in another 19 for the Pirates. Cohen Barrett (23) and Michael Reed (21) were two double-figure scorers for the Mustangs.
It was just a five point game after the first quarter of play. Dominic Lewis beat the buzzer from downtown to give St Mary’s a 20-15 lead and all the momentum they needed for the second quarter.
The Pirates opened the second quarter with back-to-back steals leading to fast break layups. The smothering defense resulted in a 9-2 run to start the quarter.
The Mustangs answered back with six straight points of their own. Barrett got his team going with an and-one layup, and freshman Lucas Randolph knocked in a three-pointer to bring the score to 29-23.
St Mary’s Bret Stewart made big plays down the stretch of the first half, starting with an and-one that put the Pirates in front by 11.
A few possessions later, he grabbed a defensive rebound and threw a full-court pass to Cruz Artaechevarria who laid it in. The Pirates held a 40-27 lead after the opening half.
That lead was quickly erased as Manitou Springs started the quarter by scoring eighth straight points. Wade Maruszak opened the scoring up with a wing three-pointer. Michael Reed then scored five straight points of his own, forcing St. Mary’s to call a timeout and talk things over.
In the blink of an eye, Barrett scored five straight points for the Mustangs and got them within three points at 45-42.
But, the Pirates opened the game back up to a double-digit lead after Starr knocked in one of his two triples in the quarter. He had 10 points in the third quarter, and St. Mary’s was clinging on to a 58-52 lead.
Once again, the Pirates saw their lead fade away. Barrett walked into a straight-away three pointer and cut their deficit down to 60-59. Shortly after, Kisean Dawson made a layup and Starr followed up with another long distance three to make it 65-59.
No lead stayed safe in this game. Mustang sophomore JT Vollaire made his only basket of the game with a wing-three to make it 65-64. Down under two minutes to play, Thomas Reed knocked down a midrange jumper to even the ball game at 66.
Dawson put St Mary’s back in the lead after spinning his way into an and-one, giving them a 69-66 lead. With less than a minute to play and still trailing by three, Manitou Springs got a defensive stop and would have had a chance to score if not for the defensive effort by Stewart.
Stewart jumped the passing lane, coming away with a steal, and allowing the Pirates to call a timeout. The Mustangs were forced to foul after the timeout and allowed the Pirates to put the game away at the free throw line.
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