Boys Basketball: St Francis’ late comeback downs Marmion

Sometimes the hardest shots to make are not the ones that are heavily contested. They are the ones that are wide open.

Brian Spahn had that feeling on Friday as his right-handed layup rattled in with three seconds left to give St. Francis an improbable 59-57 conference victory over Marmion Academy.

Spahn gave the Spartans (5-1, 2-1 SCC Blue) their first lead since pulling ahead 2-0 in the opening 90 seconds. Ryan Coyle grabbed a tipped ball and made a 30-foot pass to a streaking Spahn who was running all alone and connected with the layup for the game-winning score.

“It was the toughest layup I had to make. I just kept on telling myself, ‘Don’t miss it’,” Spahn said. “When I saw the ball going straight to Ryan (Coyle), I decided to make a break for it because there was not much time left. I’m glad I got it off in time.”

Marmion (4-5, 3-1 SCC Blue) didn’t get a shot off in the final seconds, and both the team and the crowd stood in silence as the St. Francis players gathered around Spahn.

The Cadets had the lead from the 6:19 mark in the first quarter and seemingly had the game under control as they possessed a 57-49 lead with 3:21 remaining in the game. But the Spartans, thanks to some clutch free throws and Cadet turnovers, closed the game on a 10-0 run.      

“We had the lead for most of the game, but the game is really determined in the final minutes and we couldn’t hold it,” Cadets coach Ryan Paradise said. “This is all a part of the learning process for this new ballclub. We didn’t pass this test today, but we will continue to work hard and learn from what happened tonight.”

Coyle hit three-pointers on consecutive possessions to cut the lead to 57-55 with 1:38 remaining and then after a steal, Andrew Kimball was fouled and went to the line in a one-and-one situation. Shooting directly into the Marmion student section, Kimball connected on both shots to tie the game.

“I felt that if we put enough pressure man defense on them we would eventually wear them out and get some tips and deflections. That’s what happened on Ryan’s steal,” Spartans coach Bob Ward said. “This game was all about perseverance.”

At times, the game looked more like a three-point shooting contest than a regular basketball game. St. Francis and Marmion combined for 39 total field goals and 18 of them came via the three-point shot.

The Spartans had four players in double figures, and Coyle had a game-high 15 points and had a team-high three treys.  

Mac Phelan led Marmion with 12 points, all of which came via three-pointers.

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