Trey McKenney, St. Mary’s defense too much for Brother Rice

BLOOMFIELD HILLS >> If anything foreshadowed the defensive dominance Orchard Lake St. Mary’s displayed Tuesday night, it was the work the Eaglets put in the day prior.

“(On Monday) we had a 20-minute stretch, and I said that was probably our best practice of the year,” St. Mary’s head coach Todd Covert said. “We’ve been so dinged up and sick and had injuries, I think we’ve had like one practice with our top-10 guys there.”

The No. 1 guy, senior Trey McKenney, was injured when Brother Rice beat the Eaglets’ 66-64 back on Jan. 24. He keyed the offense to the tune of a game-high 29 points and St. Mary’s muted the Warriors’ offense in a 72-41 victory Tuesday in Bloomfield Hills that advanced the Eaglets to the CHSL Bishop Tournament final.

McKenney, the consensus top player in the state, injured his hand in a 67-62 loss to IMG Academy on Jan. 9 and just recently returned for the Bishop Tournament quarterfinal victory over Toledo St. John’s Jesuit on Saturday. He called it “very important” to come back in time to face the Warriors, who came in with just one loss on the season, and rightly defined it as a statement win.

Combined with his ability to score with ease, St. Mary’s (13-6) silenced Brother Rice for long stretches. The Eaglets outscored Rice 15-2 over the opening 6:30 to start the game. Later in the opening half, a pair of Greg Grays free throws got the Warriors back to within a dozen at 27-15, but the Eaglets began to soar away from there, scoring the final seven points before intermission, including Isaiah Hines’ mid-range jumper just before the horn.

The Warriors’ scoreless drought lasted roughly seven minutes total between the two halves and didn’t end until junior Sebastian Thrower’s running hook off the glass and in, still leaving Rice trailing by 25 nearly midway into the third quarter.

In addition to several turnovers, St. Mary’s forced tough looks, and at times that led to pushing the tempo with a numbers advantage for buckets. They scored exclusively in the paint and at the line in the third quarter when McKenney had 10 of the Eaglets’ 21 points to build a lead that extended to 34 points with still a few minutes left before the fourth began.

“Going into these playoffs and these tough games, we know our calling is, and it’s really on the defensive end, and getting out in transition is very key for us,” McKenney said. “I think us being able to stop them and shutting down their key players helps us get out and get way easier shots … Just the pride it takes to lock down on the defensive end for four quarters is really tough.”

Grays (10) and Logan Hamama hit 3-pointers late in the third quarter, but St. Mary’s lead remained hovering between 25 and 30 points for much of the fourth quarter.

The Eaglets looked headed for the win through a fairly nondescript final period until St. Mary’s junior Luke Crighton came down with a rebound and some pushing and contact led to a mini-scrum with just over two minutes remaining. Two St. Mary’s players and one Warrior were assessed technical fouls, and before any of the free throws were attempted, Brother Rice head coach Rick Palmer was ejected.

A majority of reserves finished out the remainder of the contest.

Commenting on the mood and mindset for the game in general, Covert said, “It was a little personal. The guys took offense to … It feels like every time we lose, someone’s storming the court against us. But it is what it is. Our guys were locked in today. We’ve played like that a couple times for spurts this year, and (today) we put it together for a full game.”

St. Mary’s senior Sharod Barnes, who shouldered the offense with 23 points in the last meeting between the teams sans McKenney, finished with 11 in Tuesday’s win. “It definitely was a plus to get our brother back,” Barnes said. “Just having him back and just (him) being that extra boost on the offensive end helps us be able to turn up on the defensive end.”

Sophomore Peyton Kemp added 10 points, while Hines and Jayden Savoury each chipped in seven for the Eaglets.

Senior guard David Williams scored 11 of his team-high 13 points for the Warriors (18-2) in the fourth quarter.

Detroit U-D Jesuit defeated Warren De La Salle 65-54 in the first semifinal of the night in front of the capacity crowd at Marian High School.

That sets up a final between the Cubs and Eaglets Friday night at Calihan Hall. St. Mary’s lost on the road 63-54 when the teams played in Detroit back on Dec. 13.

On what has to change from playing the Cubs previously in order to win the final, Covert said, “We’ve just got to be consistent. We’re going to have to rebound, defend, get back in transition. They beat us earlier this year, it was our first league game at their place. Pat (Donnelly) does a great job, so it’s going to be a helluva battle.”