Buffalo, NY Season Check-In
2020-2021 Western New York Season Review High School Basketball tipped off in Western New York in mid-February 2021. This article will touch on how the St. Mary’s Lancers have fared since we checked in last. St. Mary’s Lancers –…
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Continue Reading2020-2021 Western New York Season Review
High School Basketball tipped off in Western New York in mid-February 2021. This article will touch on how the St. Mary’s Lancers have fared since we checked in last.
St. Mary’s Lancers – 1-10 Overall
The last time St. Mary’s was reviewed, they were coming off of four losses and had yet to win a game. Finally, they secured that elusive inaugural victory in non-conference action with a 10 point win against Archbishop Walsh in Olean, NY. They are still searching for their first Monsignor Martin League victory.
Jack Bestpitch is a Guard off to a nice start for the Lancers. A Junior, Bestpitch comes off the bench and provides steady backup minutes. The range on his shot is deep, and the ball spins well off of his fingers. So far, he has attempted at least a single three-point attempt in ~67% of the games he has appeared in. His ability to remain constant will be a crucial aspect for the Lancers to start racking up victories.
Junior Damien Keller is a crucial rebounder for St. Mary’s. The Junior Forward is averaging 1.7 in eight minutes per game. Extrapolating that data to per-32 minutes puts Keller on pace for 6.8 per game, which would be on pace for an All-Conference mention! Keller needs to continue to use his body to root out space down low and hunt rebounds each trip down the floor. St. Mary’s will succeed with a heavy dose of Keller crashing the glass on both sides.
Will Kukoleca, one of the team’s frontcourt stalwarts, has been the best on the team thus far in terms of valuing possessions. The 6’4” Forward is averaging just 0.1 Turnovers per game – 0.6 per-32 minutes – which is best on the team. He does a nice job of balancing being methodical with his footwork with still making quick, decisive moves to shoot or pass. He rarely allows smaller opponents to rip the ball from him because he routinely keeps the ball “high” when he catches it. Kukoleca’s ball security is one reason for St. Mary’s to be optimistic for the rest of the season.
Next Up:
at Bishop-Timon St. Jude 3/3
All Stats Come From Maxpreps.com. All Analysis Is My Own.