Malden Catholic gets back on track in win over La Salle (RI)

MALDEN — Malden Catholic ended a two-game skid with a 53-48 victory over La Salle Academy (R.I.) on Saturday afternoon.

The Lancers were riding high to begin this season, getting off to an 11-0 start, but hit a bump in their last two Catholic Conference matchups as they fell to Catholic Memorial and Xaverian by a total of four points.

Playing in a back-to-back after their 51-49 loss to Xaverian Friday night, the Lancers built a 13-point lead in the first quarter behind strong play from senior Duke Cherry, who finished with a game-high 18 points, and junior Jeremiah Figaro.

“Coming off two losses on the road, we knew we had to come back home and have a fresh restart,” Cherry said.

Malden Catholic (12-2) lead grew to 17 points in the first half before the visitors from Rhode Island used a 5-0 run to close out the second quarter to cut the lead to 12.

The Rams (8-6) cut the lead down to as many as eight, but the Lancers continually responded to keep the deficit in double figures.

“We just kept defending and when we got good shots we cashed them in,” Lancers head coach Mark Garrity said.

With the Lancers in control, La Salle on two different occasions cut the lead to single digits, the first came at the end of the third quarter on a go-ahead basket to cut the lead to 42-34.

La Salle cut the lead to 42-37 on a three-pointer, but Figaro went on a personal 5-0 run to bring the lead back to 10. The Rams got no closer the rest of the way.

Figaro, the X-factor in this matchup, finished with 16 points, but his defense gave the Rams fits trying to get shots over his length.

“You get taken out of the game for not rebounding,” Figaro said. “If you want to play, you have to rebound, block shots and grab rebounds.”

The win at home gave the Lancers back their confidence as they prepare for four straight Catholic Conference road games beginning Tuesday when they visit Saint John’s (Shrewsbury).

Garrity emphasized the importance of being consistent, especially on the offensive and defensive side of the ball, which has been a key factor to the Lancers 12-2 record.

“Finishing possessions on defense and having guys that’ll be confident on offense knocking down shots and finishing layups,” Garrity said.