Defensive effort against Niagara Falls earns St. Joe’s sixth straight win

Marauders score 12 points off 12 Wolverine turnovers in public/private affair

When St. Joe’s left the court, the cause for celebration was more than just Christmas being around the corner. Entering the season with high expectations for themselves, the Marauders ended the first part of their season on a high note. 

After falling to eventual Catholic state runners-up Bishop Timon in the Monsignor Martin Athletic Association last season, St. Joe’s was hungry for more, with its top three scorers returning and the addition of former Amherst center Nate Blenman. And after winning five of its first six contests to start the season, the Marauders took the 16-mile drive to face Niagara Falls in a public versus private school affair.

Four players finished in double-figure scoring and 12 points came off 12 Niagara Falls turnovers as St. Joe’s secured the 51-39 victory Monday at Niagara Falls High School. Now 6-1 on the season, the Marauders are off to their best start since going 7-0 during the COVID-19 shortened season in 2021. 

“They’re really bought in, which is really good,” St. Joe’s head coach Cooper Calzonetti said. “I told these guys, ‘Everyone tells us how good we are all the time. It doesn’t matter.

Now, we try to go out and prove it every single night.’”

Heading into the contest, St. Joe’s and Niagara Falls had a history of facing each other, including the Wolverines’ 45-36 win on Feb. 12 at Hilbert College. And, before tip-off, the Marauders remained the only team in Western New York to secure a win in the Cataract City after their 76-71 victory on Dec. 4, 2021.

St. Joe’s only held a four-point lead, 11-7, at the end of the first quarter, before its defensive efforts turned into offensive success. The Marauders’ guards, Jaymeir Goosby (17 points) and Mekhi Gidney (10 points), intercepted passes, resulting in transition scoring and, once the lead expanded to double-figures allowed Blenman to score inside.  

“I think it was key,” Goosby said. “With us, especially, I feel like our defense really fueled and inspired our offense. We played strong on the defensive end, which led to a lot of transition buckets, which put us in a great position.” 

The defensive pressure from the Marauders was part of the challenge Niagara Falls faced.

After averaging 56.8 points through the first five games, the Wolverines scored a season-low 39 points against St. Joe’s and shot 9 of 20 from the field.

Facing St. Joe’s marked Niagara Falls’ first contest since a 55-45 loss to Section III’s Cicero-North Syracuse on Dec. 14, leaving the team a week of practice to focus on ball movement and body movement when on the floor. As a result, the Wolverines went 7 of 16 from the 3-point line, as sophomore Dequarius Seaberry converted three of his four 3-pointers in the second half to finish with 12 points. 

But shots that would usually fall for the Wolverines inside the paint and beyond the arc didn’t and the Marauders either scored in transition or caused turnovers in the passing lanes. Despite this, Niagara Falls brought the deficit to five points or less twice, with Seaberry’s back-to-back 3-pointers helping Niagara Falls trail 31-28 with 3:45 left in the third quarter before St. Joe’s responded with an 11-4 run to end the frame (42-32).

“They really pressured us and I think that took us out of what we tried to do offensively,” Niagara Falls head coach Carlos Bradberry said. “... When we go back, every quarter is two or four points, so, it’s like two plays here and there where we just didn’t execute as well as we could. And a lot had to do with their defensive pressure. We just got to get back and get better and get back to work.” 

In the victory, Blenman had 11 points and Gionni Zelasko had 10 points for St. Joe’s. The Marauders continue their season against Albany Academy on Jan. 2 with a time yet to be determined.

In the loss, John Strong had 12 points and Darryl Smith had 10 points for Niagara Falls. The Wolverines (3-3) continue their season at Rome Free Academy at 4 p.m. Saturday in Rome, NY. 

NOTES: Since the 2004-05 season, Niagara Falls and St. Joe’s have met 12 times, with each program winning six contests each. … Before St. Joe’s victories on Monday and on Dec. 4, 2021, Amherst was the last team from Western New York to win at the “Wolvearena”  in a 66-63 victory on Dec. 6, 2019.

Feature Image Courtesy of SJCI