Boys Basketball: Hot-Shooting Marist Takes Down Rich South in Christmas Tourney

The Skinny: Marist found a way to win against a very aggressive Rich South defense as the RedHawks used hot shooting to notch a 63-51 victory on Monday night in the RedHawk tourney. It seemed that everything the Stars could do in terms of shooting and forcing turnovers, Marist did better. An 11-2 run to close the first half helped the RedHawks secure the victory. The Stars were able to stage a bit of a late comeback, but Marist quickly answered.

Patch MVP: Marist guard L.J. McIntosh totaled 20 points to lead all scorers. He also had five rebounds, four steals and one assist. McIntosh was a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line.

Key Stats: After making 11-of-18 shots in the first half, Marist finished the game 22-of-40, including 6-of-15 from the three-point arc. The RedHawks were 15-of-17 from the free throw line. Rich South made 22-of-49 shots. The Stars were 2-of-9 from three-point range and hit on 3-of-9 free throws. They also pulled down a whopping 18 offensive rebounds.

Marist Leaders: Aside from McIntosh, Matt O'Reilly had 13 points, four rebounds and two steals. Lexus Williams finished with 11 points, two rebounds, one steal and one assist. Nic Weishar had 10 points, two rebounds, one steal and one assist.

Rich South Leaders: Cedric Russell finished with 16 points, five rebounds, one steal and one block. Josh Ruffin had 11 points, eight rebounds, one steal and one block. Marquell Small had four points, three rebounds and four steals.

Quotable: Marist Coach Gene Nolan: "When you shoot it well, I think it masks a lot of things that we were deficient in. This was a game that we gave up 18 offensive rebounds. It's shocking that you can win a game when that statistic has occurred, but we've got great kids. To become a better team, we need to be better at rebounding and stopping the turnovers. I think we played so well in other areas that we were able to win the game."

Team Records: Marist improves to 7-1. Rich South falls to 5-3.

What's Next: Rich South continues in the Marist Christmas Tournament on Wednesday, Dec. 14, against Phillips Academy. Marist travels to St. Viator on Friday, Dec. 16.