O’FALLON, MO – Bobby McCormack has amassed 554 wins during his legendary 32-year head coaching career. He is known for changing defenses, from man-to-man to zone to half-court traps and everything in between.
So, when the Priory zone was punctured for five three-pointers in the first quarter against Fort Zumwalt North on Friday, it seemed the only question was which new defense McCormick would employ to begin the second quarter.
“I told our guys, ‘I’m just hoping that this doesn’t continue,’” McCormack said.
Priory remained steadfast in their zone, and when Fort Zumwalt North began missing shots, Ravens’ sophomore Henry Hibey started making them.
Hibey drained seven three-pointers for a game-high 21 points, and Priory used a balanced offense and stifling defense to earn a 60-51 victory over the host Panthers to earn the consolation championship at the Fort Zumwalt North Invitational.
Priory (9-11) which has lost three overtime games this season, won its second consecutive game decided by fewer than 10 points.
“We’ve had (close) games like this that we’ve lost, so it’s nice for our hard work to pay dividends,” McCormack said.
The hard work began with the task of slowing down a Zumwalt North offense that found the home nets to their liking. Tied at 12, seniors Trent Menke, Cole Heckelmann and Lynden Sanders connected on long range missiles and the Panthers led 21-17 at the end of one quarter on the strength of a 5-for-6 performance from behind the arc.
“We just had to close out on shooters,” Priory senior Myles Eidsness-Garcia said. “Coach (McCormack) was big on that after the first quarter.”
Hecklemann connected on a three-ball to open the second quarter, but the Priory zone held the Panthers to 3-for-19 shooting from long distance for the remainder of the game.
“The wing guys did a good job bumping up so the guards could get out there. It was just good teamwork on defense in the second quarter and in the second half,” Eidsness-Garcia said.
Trailing 26-17, the Ravens began accruing stops on defense, and the Priory shooters began heating up. Eidsness-Garcia and sophomore Robby Temprano connected from distance to trim the deficit to three. Two triples by Hibey in the final minute put Priory into halftime trailing only 32-31.
Fort Zumwalt North (9-10) played without injured point guard Kobe Anderson, who leads the Panthers in scoring, assists and steals. They did receive a boost from senior Trent Menke, who returned to action after recovering from a collarbone injury suffered during the football season that sidelined him for the first 16 games.
Menke scored a season-high 12 points and played the top of a trapping 1-2-2 defense designed to chase Priory shooters off the three-point line. Instead, it showcased the unselfishness of the Ravens’ offense.
Priory quickly passed out of traps, executed speedy ball reversals and skipped the ball from corner to corner.
And Hibey was still scorching hot.
Tied at 35, Hibey drained three consecutive triples to stake Priory to a nine-point cushion, its largest of the game.
“I was just posting up (at the three-point line) and my teammates got me the ball. My shot was falling tonight,” Hibey said.
To open the fourth quarter, the Ravens ran a set play that resulted in Hibey’s sixth three. After a timeout, Priory again dialed up a three-point opportunity for Hibey, who connected on his seventh and final triple of the game.
“Defensively, we struggled quite a bit. We did not guard man-to-man very well, and when we switched to a zone, we did not do a good job of contesting who we needed to contest, and they did a great job of making shots,” Fort Zumwalt North coach Mike Uffmann said.
Priory utilized a balanced attack that saw four players reach double digits, including senior Christian Gonzalez, who missed a pair of three-point attempts in the opening quarter and then hunkered down in the post for a 12-point, 12-rebound performance.
“When my shot’s not falling, I have to transition to something different to help us win the game,” Gonzalez said.
And it was the ability to transition to what was working on offense, combined with the decision not to transition away from its zone defense that led Priory to the consolation championship.
“It was a collective effort tonight, and it’s a feel-good win for these guys,” McCormack said.