St. Vincent wins wild one on home court

St. Vincent exploded for 29 points in a wild second period, and the Mustangs held on for an 80-68 win over Upper Lake at DeCarli Gym last week.

The Mustangs trailed by 12 points early in the free-flowing offensive contest but gained complete control in an emotional stanza that featured four technical fouls and the ejection of an assistant coach for Upper Lake.

With AJ Fetter leading the way with three consecutive shots from outside the arc, St. Vincent turned the game in its favor. A call by the officials broke the flow of the game when the Upper Lake bench questioned the timing of the play stoppage, and it led to technical fouls whistled on Cougar coach Justin Dutcher and his staff.

Two foul shots were awarded Miguel Bunting, and the technicals kept coming. When the dust had cleared, Bunting had knocked down six consecutive free throws, one Cougar coach was ejected and the Mustangs grabbed a 45-38 halftime lead.

Bunting also hit two shots from distance in the rally.

Smooth forward Kenny Hodges kept the Cougars in the hunt with 18 points in the first half and 31 for the contest.

Bunting had a solid game for St. Vincent. The sophomore guard controlled the offense from the top of the key while finishing with 23 points.

The Mustangs controlled the boards with Rory Morgan and Gio Antonini leading the way. Antonini had 11 rebounds, while Morgan ended a productive night’s work with eight rebounds and 17 points. Fetter had a good night on the offensive end before fouling out in the final stanza.

Upper Lake (16-7) came into the game on a roll after defeating North Central League II-leading Roseland Prep, 60-56.

“They have been playing very well this season,” noted St. Vincent coach Jarred Pengel. “Our league is stronger than in seasons past.”

St. Vincent improved to 7-6 in the NCL II.

SV girls romp

St. Vincent rushed to its fifth consecutive girls basketball win with a dominating 40-11 victory over Upper Lake.

The Lady Mustangs completely took the Cougars out of a high-low offense while piling up a 23-4 halftime lead.

Sophomore Alexandra Saisi continued her fine play with 12 points for the Mustangs. Most of her success came running the floor and beating the visitors to the offensive end.

Alessandra Ditzio chipped in with eight points as the surging St. Vincent club advanced closer to a NCS Division V playoff spot.

The smooth-passing Mustangs are now rated 18th in their division. There are 16 spots to be filled in the NCS bracket.