St. Mary senior guard Justin Crosby attempts to muscle his way past the Gateway defense Wednesday night at Westfield South Middle School. (Photo by Chris Putz)
WESTFIELD – A new era began at St. Mary High School with the spotlight on a couple of brand new additions to the boys’ varsity basketball team, and the results earned critical praise.
Senior transfer Justin Crosby scored 22 points and new head coach Joe Molta – a longtime staple as Southwick’s coach – earned his first win as a Saint in St. Mary’s 55-42 win over visiting Gateway Regional at Westfield South Middle School on Wednesday night.
“He’s an animal,” Gateway coach Mike O’Connell said of Crosby, who was a key player in Westfield High’s playoff runs over the past few years before transferring to St. Mary in the summer. “He brought his own ‘Bomb Squad’ – they came to support him – and he almost ripped the basketball hoop down.”
The play O’Connell was referring to was a thunderous and-one dunk from Crosby in the final seconds of the first half which gave St. Mary a 21-18 lead. The play brought Saints’ fans to their feet in deafening applause, and sparked a contingent of Crosby supporters to chant his name.
“I thought (Gateway guard) Justin Edinger outworked (Crosby),” O’Connell said, “but with those gifts, I don’t know how anyone is going to stop that.”
Crosby stood head and shoulders above the competition, but it was his teammates who helped his team take a commanding lead.
St. Mary’s Matt Plasse drained three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, helping spur a 15-2 run.
“Matt Plasse was taking three-pointers from the NBA line,” said O’Connell. “Those were daggers.”
Plasse stabbed four treys and finished with 15 total points.
“Anthony Garde did a great job running the offense, Matt Plasse hit some clutch shots, and we played great defense,” said Crosby, who deferred individual accolades to credit his teammates for the victory.
St. Mary’s defense held Gateway scoreless for about a five-minute stretch late in the third quarter and early in the fourth until Calvin Dowers drained a 2. Dowers finished with a team-high 14 for the Gators (0-3).
“Gateway played two teams already, so I told (my players) to focus on defense,” said coach Molta. “Our offense is nowhere near ready. We only had one scrimmage.”
At times, the offense looked a bit ragged, and St. Mary was called for several traveling violations.
“We have five kids who haven’t played together,” Molta said. “They worked very hard defensively. It’s a good first step for us. …The Gators are a tough team. They’re scrappy, very physical. It’s a long journey; we have to get better.”
JV GIRLS – Southwick 36, Franklin Tech 6
Southwick shut out Franklin Tech for three quarters in a dominant performance. All 11 players scored for the Rams.
WRESTLING – Gateway 42, Sabis 30
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