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Jalen Echevarria, St. Mary’s leading scorer, and the Spartans will clash against a red-hot Cathedral team in Wednesday’s state semifinal.
By HAROLD RIVERA
The St. Mary’s boys basketball team is two wins away from repeating as Division 4 state champions. However, first things first as the Spartans understand that getting past Cathedral in Wednesday’s state semifinal at Woburn High will be no easy task.
The Panthers are coming off an impressive 100-44 win over Monomoy in the Division 4 South final. In fact, reaching triple digits has become somewhat of a norm for Cathedral as of late.
“They’re a (Catholic Central) League opponent,” Spartans coach Dave Brown said of the Panthers. “This game will be a huge challenge for us. They’re averaging 100 points a game in the state tournament. They have outstanding guard play. We’ll try to take care of the ball because they pressure a lot. Our main goal is to take care of the ball and get good quality shots.”
By taking care of the ball on the offensive end, the Spartans will look to wear down a stingy Panthers defense that likes to pressure its opponents. In the process, St. Mary’s will also seek to earn quality shots.
“The key is taking care of the ball,” Brown said. “We’re hoping to settle down on the offensive end, run down the shot clock a little bit, make them play defense as long as possible and get off a quality basket.”
On the defensive end, which has been instrumental for St. Mary’s in its tournament run, the goal remains the same: keep the opponent in the 50’s.
“We’re not the type of team that plays that style of a game where we score 100 points,” Brown said. “If we can keep them in the 50’s, we can play with them and we’ll have a good chance of winning.”
For the Spartans, Cathedral is a familiar foe. The CCL powerhouses split their two regular season meetings over the winter, and St. Mary’s defeated the Panthers in last year’s state semifinal at TD Garden. St. Mary’s won the game in the final seconds, and Brown expects a similar battle this time around.
“We’re hoping the game stays close throughout,” Brown said. “The team that executes best and makes the most plays will win in the end and hopefully that’ll be us. I expect a tight basketball game.”
Brown added, “We know them and they know us. It’s just about who can execute better. If we can knock down open shots and take care of the ball, that’s the key.”
In preparing for Cathedral, the Spartans have kept their practices simple. The goal in practice has been to get every player on the same page with Wednesday’s game plan.
“Our main goal is to get back to Springfield,” Brown said. “Every player on our team knows this is a big game against Cathedral. We just have to fine tune what we plan to do tomorrow. Our practices aren’t highly intense. We’re just going over the x’s and o’s to make sure every player, one through 15, understands the game plan.”
A potential x-factor in Wednesday’s game could be the St. Mary’s bench. Depth has favored the Spartans throughout the tournament, as players like Joshua Perez and Keith Ridley have had their moments off the bench. Perez carried St. Mary’s over Pope John, while Ridley logged a double-double in the win over Lowell Catholic.
“It’s very encouraging that we had two players recently step off the bench and give us quality minutes,” Brown said. “You never know when your number’s going to be called. When it is called, we hope you’re ready for the moment. We expect that player to be ready offensively and defensively for the opponent.”
The week got off to a great start for St. Mary’s when the school’s boys hockey team blanked Andover, 2-0, in the Division 1 North final. Brown and his players are hoping to keep the good times rolling.
“The St. Mary’s winter programs had a great season,” Brown said. “I congratulate the hockey team and coach Mark Lee. They had a terrific win (on Monday). Hopefully Coach Lee can get that Division 1 state title.”
Tipoff for Wednesday’s game is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. Originally scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at TD Garden, the game was moved to Wednesday night at Woburn due to the snowstorm.