DANVERS — Behind a suffocating defensive effort and some red-hot shooting, the Bishop Fenwick boys basketball team picked up a 78-53 win over Danvers in a non-conference bout at Danvers Field House Thursday night.
“We’ve made a real effort this year to work on our defensive play because we’re a small team and we have to work harder on that side of the ball,” said Fenwick coach Kevin Moran. “We did some good things early on that helped us jump ahead, and then the guys finished the game well.”
Senior Mike Yentin led the way for the Crusaders with 27 points, five rebounds and three steals, while junior Che Hanks added 17 points, two rebounds and three steals. Senior Jason Romans did a little bit of everything in the win, notching 14 points, 10 assists, five rebounds and five steals. Senior Nick Bowers added seven points.
“We’re very fortunate to have three guys like that at the top of our rotation, and it’s especially helpful that all three guys are different kinds of players,” said Moran.
The Crusaders opened up the game with an incredible defensive effort, forcing several Danvers turnovers in the opening minutes and capitalizing on every one of them. Behind the three-headed attack of Yentin, Romans, and Hanks, Fenwick blasted out to a 26-8 lead by the end of the first quarter.
Danvers was able to even the playing field a bit during the second quarter, but it was largely when Fenwick’s substitutes were in the game. Yentin led the way with 18 first-half points for the Crusaders, while Hanks was close behind with 11.
But Danvers never quit, and the Falcons came out roaring in the second half. Once trailing by more than 25 points, Danvers rallied back to get within 10 early in the fourth quarter. But that’s when Fenwick turned up the defensive intensity once again, shutting the door and coasting to a victory.
“I think our effort and execution coming out of the half was pretty poor,” said Moran. “But at the same time, the guys reset things and locked it down in the fourth quarter, which was nice to see.”
Fenwick (3-0) takes on Salem Academy Tuesday afternoon (12:30).
“It’s early in the season and we obviously have a long way to go, but we’re in a pretty good place right now,” said Moran. “We’ve played a few tough games to start the season and it doesn’t get any easier in our league, so we’ll have to be better in all phases of the game moving forward.”