Blue Dons chop down Lumberjacks
Nine players combine for 11 3-pointers during Madonna’s 87-42 victory
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WEIRTON -- Although this is the third week for high school basketball in West Virginia, Madonna head coach George Vargo finally feels like his Blue Dons are gaining momentum and playing with confidence.
"It seems like I'm back in the swing of things. I'm sweating and yelling a little bit. I'm a little bit emotional," he said. "It seems like our practices are outstanding now. It seems like three weeks into the season we're ready to start now. It's like a roller coaster."
The double-overtime defeat seven days prior at Oak Glen jumpstarted Madonna. Following another loss Friday night, it definitely got a jolt Saturday when it bested Weir High.
Tuesday felt like another shot in the arm with a blowout victory over Valley, 87-42.
"We tried to show good sportsmanship. We tried to win a ballgame and let our young kids get a lot of minutes," Vargo said. "We tried to rest varsity for (today). They didn't lose their intensity or get too silly."
That intensity showed early and often with leads of 10-0 and 21-3 before the Lumberjacks (0-5) called timeouts. The Blue Dons (2-3) later ended the opening quarter ahead, 31-9, and forced 11 turnovers (19 overall).
Madonna coughed up just seven turnovers, grabbed 40 rebounds and hit 35 field goals, including 11 3-pointers from nine different players.
"We haven't made 11 3s in 11 years," Vargo said laughing.
Lucky Pulice led the charge with 14 points, 11 rebounds and two assists. Thomas Sessi, starting for the first time this season, had 13 points and a couple of assists. He replaced Lennon Dietrich in the lineup on a gut feeling.
"Thomas is a senior. Everybody wants to go run underneath the lights (during pre-game introductions), so I gave him that chance to do so," Vargo said.
"To be honest, Thomas had to quarantine for the first six days (of practice). Lennon stepped up out of nowhere. My rule is if you get sick or have to miss practice, the next guy is up. If he takes your job, you have to earn it back."
Dietrich tallied eight points and four assists. Santino Arlia had eight points and a game-high six assists. Anthony Mascio contributed 10 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Luke Amaismeier added seven points and seven boards. Every Blue Don that played scored.
For Valley, Tommy Shannon led with 13 points and three rebounds. Logan Bassett had eight points, four boards and two assists. Walker Bassett added five points and seven boards.
"We're dealing with a lot of injuries right now. You can say I have a sore bench," Valley head coach John Kocher said. "We got two more (Tuesday). One of my starters got hurt within the first two minutes of the season.
"Our problem (Tuesday) was handling the pressure, handling the ball and making good decisions with it. It's still the fifth game of the season, so we still have time to get better. We'll just go back and regroup."
UP NEXT
Valley: Tentatively travels to Paden City on Friday.
Madonna: Tentatively hosts Brooke today.
Madonna 87, Valley 42
Valley 9 12 14 7 -- 42
Madonna 31 19 25 12 -- 87
VALLEY (0-5): L. Bassett 4 0-0 8; Higginbotham 3 1-2 7; Anderson 0 0-0 0; W. Bassett 2 0-0 5; Shannon 4 2-2 13; I. Bassett 1 4-4 6; Bates 1 1-1 3; Martin 0 0-2 0. TOTALS: 15, 8-11: 42.
MADONNA (2-3): Arlia 3 0-0 7; M. Amaismeier 2 0-0 5; Bone 3 1-2 8; Sessi 6 0-0 13; Pulice 6 2-3 14; L. Amaismeier 3 0-0 7; Dietrich 3 0-0 8; Mascio 6 0-0 13; Serafine 2 0-0 6; Yates 0 3-4 3; Pietranton 1 0-0 3. TOTALS: 35, 6-9: 87.
3-POINT GOALS: Valley 4 (W. Bassett, Shannon 3); Madonna 11 (Arlia, M. Amaismeier, Bone, Sessi, L. Amaismeier, Dietrich 2, Mascio, Serafine 2, Pietranton). REBOUNDS: Valley 25 (W. Bassett 7); Madonna 40 (Pulice 11). ASSISTS: Valley 6 (L. Bassett 2, Bates 2); Madonna 23 (Arlia 6). TURNOVERS: Valley 19; Madonna 7.