By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — It didn’t take long to figure out the direction of Friday night’s McQuaid – Aquinas boys basketball matchup.
Five possessions into the contest, the Jesuit Knights had forced three turnovers, blocked one shot and caused a missed shot on another attempt.
On the offensive end of the floor, the Knights were off and running. By the third quarter, the only questions remaining would be which McQuaid highlights the local network news stations might use on their late night broadcasts.
McQuaid’s defense forced more turnovers than it allowed field goals in an 85-56 rout on the home court of their long-time rival.
“It was a great team win,” senior point guard Anthony Iglesia said. “Everybody was able to contribute on all levels especially on the defensive end. We were able to pressure those guys and make them feel uncomfortable with the ball. That translated into our offense. We really were able to knock down shots, get in the paint and kick it out to our shooters and bigs.”
Sophomore Jermaine Taggart paced the McQuaid offense. If his performance last Friday night wasn’t enough to get the attention of local fans, the McQuaid sophomore made sure of it this Friday night. A week ago, the 6-foot-3 guard needed a little more than a minute to pour in 12 points. Friday night, Taggart registered a game-high 26 points.
.@_AnthonyIglesia of @MJSNetwork15 is a bad man. Scratch that. He is a bad, bad man. Jelly. Jam. Marmalade. Preserves. pic.twitter.com/9a5SMNxymE
— Matt Trabold (@TrabsMatt) December 23, 2017
“I just told myself to stay locked in and don’t think about the points as much,” he said. “Just do whatever you can to help your team win. As a leader, I have to step up.”
It wasn’t so much the end as it was the means. Taggart needed just an eye-popping 12 shots on the night. He connected on 10 of 12 attempts including two of three behind the arc to go along with a 4-of-4 performance from the free throw line.
“For a sophomore to come out like that on a big stage, it just shows how much potential he has,” Iglesia said. “I can’t say much more about him. I’m speechless. I’m not surprised with the performance.”
“He’s a talented guy, and he works his butt off,” McQuaid coach Jack Leasure said. “It’s fun to see him do well because he just puts his head down and he works. He’s very mentally tough.”
Anthony Iglesia finds Connor Zamiara underneath for 2. #slipthescreen pic.twitter.com/K5Z3qZEv3h
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) December 23, 2017
The win was the third straight for McQuaid which started the season 0-3.
“We talked about just establishing our identity as a team,” Leasure noted. “It took us a little time to figure that out as a group for the first few games. We played a couple of really tough games.”
The Knights converted 20 turnovers into a 25-9 advantage in points off those miscues. At the same time, the Knights limited Aquinas to 19 made field goals.
“I felt the guys let themselves be who they are tonight,” Leasure added. “They were playing a little tight for the first stretch. The last few games I think they’re just starting to have fun and play basketball. You can see that in the bench and how alive they are. They are enjoying each other and playing with joy. That’s what we’ve been focusing on. Playing with joy.”
Iglesia finished with 14 points, four assists, three steals, two rebounds and zero turnovers.
Sophomores Kobe Long and Rueben Daniel came off the bench and combined for 28 points. Long scored 12 on 5-of-12 shooting. Daniel had 16 on 6-of-7 shooting to go with a game-high eight rebounds.
Rueben Daniel connects on his second 3-pointer of the night. pic.twitter.com/TB1FXmg0wW
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) December 23, 2017
As a team, the Knights hit 34 of 60 shots overall including 7 of 18 from long range. McQuaid outscored Aquinas 46-16 in the paint.
Ruben Torres paced Aquinas with 22 points off the bench hitting 8-of-14 shots and four of eight behind the arc. Justin Johnson had nine points and Luke Putnam eight for the Li’l Irish.
Aquinas played without its starting frontcourt of 6-foot-4 Kidtrell Blocker and 6-foot-10 Tyler Warner.
McQuaid was without starting senior guard Divine Williams.
Other scorers: Aquinas – Danny Speed (3), Eric Carter (4), Steven Mahar (2), Jack Scanlon (6) and Steven Chen (2). McQuaid – Josh Purcell (8), Connor Zamiara (6), Jon Catone (2) and Jackeen Mundy-Aeckerle (1).
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