Defense turns into offense for Bishop Stang in its boys basketball win over Dartmouth

DARTMOUTH — Offense and defense went hand in hand for Bishop Stang in a 63-49 non-conference win over Dartmouth on Friday.

Senior guard Luis Vega scored 18 of his game-high 21 points on fast-break layups and drives to the basket and the trio of senior forward Michael Golden, senior forward Joseph Landry and freshman forward Sage Baptiste did a great job playing defense against Dartmouth's Hunter Matteson, a talented 6-foot-6 sophomore center who came in averaging 24.0 points a game with five double-doubles this season.

Matteson, who was named to The Standard-Times Super Team as a freshman, ended up scoring a team-high 20 points, but he had only five points in the first half as the Spartans collapsed into the paint and surrounded him whenever he touched the ball.

"He's a really good player and we wanted to have someone on him all the time," Golden said. "We kept him from getting into a rhythm and made him work hard for his points."

Facing constant double and triple teams the whole game, Matteson split his points with five baskets and 10 free throws. He got better as the game went on, scoring 13 of his points in the fourth quarter.

"We did a good job making things tough for (Matteson)," Bishop Stang coach Colbey Santos said. "We wanted to throw a lot of defenders at him and keep him from getting comfortable around the basket. That was a big part of our game plan and all three of the guys we assigned to him played him tough."

The Spartans are known for their hard-nosed defense and Santos said his team puts in a lot of work on its defense and takes it very seriously.

"Our practice sessions are two hours. We devote an hour and 40 minutes to defense and 20 minutes to offense," Santos said. "Our kids take pride in their defense. We like to score points off our defense and we try to put as much pressure on opponents as we can."

Offensively, Vega sparked the Spartans with bursts of energy that led to a lot of hard-earned points in transition.

"Luis is a veteran point guard who's tough as nails and is starting to play some really good basketball," Santos said. "He's really quick and he handles the ball well. Once he gets on a roll, he can score points in a hurry. He helps us at both ends of the court and he's a hard worker who makes good things happen for himself and his teammates."

HOW IT HAPPENED

Both teams got off to slow starts in the first quarter, which ended with the Spartans leading 11-5.

Vega scored six points and senior guard Jacob Seiders hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to help give the Spartans a 26-15 halftime lead.

Vega completed a three-point play to open the scoring in the third quarter and he added four more points before Baptiste scored on a put back at the buzzer to give the Spartans a 42-26 advantage.

Matteson scored 13 points in the fourth quarter, where Dartmouth outscored the Spartans 23-21 for the final margin.

WHAT IT MEANS: The Spartans improved to 4-6 overall. Five of their next seven games are conference matchups and they have a 2-5 record in league action. ... Dartmouth dropped to 3-5 and will return to action on Tuesday for a 6:30 p.m. non-conference game against visiting West Bridgewater. Dartmouth is 1-1 in the Southeast Conference.

DARTMOUTH STATS: Junior forward John Emile, a transfer from Rockland, scored 13 points to join Matteson in double figures. ... Dartmouth committed 15 of its 25 turnovers in the first half and made 15 of 25 free throws.

BISHOP STANG STATS: Sophomore guard Frank Vollaro scored six of his 12 points on treys. ... Freshman guard Ben Tingley Prince made a pair of three-pointers and finished with 10 points. ... Seiders scored eight points. with six coming from beyond the arc. ... The Spartans finished with 16 turnovers — seven in the first half and nine after the break. ... They made 13 of 26 foul shots.

NOTES: Bishop Stang sophomore guard Ethan Clark had to be helped off the court by a trainer after injuring his right ankle late in the fourth quarter. Clark returned to the team bench with his ankle wrapped and iced, but he was on crutches after the game ended.

BISHOP STANG 63, DARTMOUTH 49

Dartmouth

Hunter Matteson 5-10-20, John Emile 4-5-13, Mason Bouchard 2-0-4, Dylan Gomes 1-0-3, Jake Chiquito 1-0-2, Aiden Kim 2-0-4, Donovan Burgo 1-0-3. Totals: 16-15-49

Bishop Stang

Ben Tingley Prince 3-2-10, Michael Golden 1-2-4, Frank Vollaro 3-4-12, Joseph Landry 1-0-2, Luis Vega 9-3-21, Jacob Seiders 2-2-8, Ethan Clark 1-0-2, Sage Baptiste 2-0-4. Totals: 22-13-63

Dartmouth 5 10 11 23 - 49

Bishop Stang 11 15 16 21 - 63

3-pointers: D - Gomes (1)1, Burgo (1); BS - Tingley Prince (2), Vollaro (2), Seiders (2)

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Bishop Stang beats Dartmouth in boys basketball