Lions Rally Past Greenhill in SPC Clash
By Sam Weiger / Contributor
With only a few basketball games left to be played at Hicks Gymnasium, St. Mark’s wants to close out its historic home court with a bang.
Trailing by nine points on Friday against SPC rival Greenhill, the Lions used a combination of crisp passing and tenacious defense to spark a comeback, leading to a hard-fought 59-51 victory.
The Hornets entered the game with a 16-game winning streak highlighted by 13 dominant victories (by at least 24 points). But the St. Mark’s, riding a wave of momentum, capitalized on the electric energy of the home crowd.
“To get a win was something our guys were excited about,” said St. Mark’s head coach Greg Guiler. “Sometimes that can cause these young guys to get too excited, yet they had poise through the noise.”
Early on, the Lions (19-4) struggled to score. Standout senior Luke Laczkowski, a Saint Louis University signee, finished the first half with four points on 2-of-8 shooting.
Meanwhile, Greenhill’s Jaxson Thompson dominated, effortlessly maneuvering past defenders and scoring with ease. The Hornets went into halftime with a 33-25 advantage.
It was clear that the Lions needed to find a different gear in the second half, and they did, generating numerous second-chance opportunities through aggressive rebounding and improved ball movement. A crucial 11-3 run featured two momentum-shifting dunks to start the fourth quarter.
Sophomore Dawson Battie, the Lions’ leading scorer with 25 points, was a clutch performer in the closing minutes with both 3-pointers and assists.
The Hornets (21-3) were offensively stagnant in the second half, with Thompson as the only primary scorer. Although he finished with 32 points, Greenhill was unable to break through the St. Mark’s defense in the closing stages of the game.
“St. Mark’s is a very, very good basketball team,” said Greenhill head coach Joey Sims. “We knew what to expect coming in. We didn’t play our best game and they’re hard to beat.”