Boys Basketball: Williams, Weishar lead Marist past St. Rita
By Pat Disabato pdisabato@southtownstar.com December 6, 2011 10:58PM
Morty Berglind, of Marist, makes a move to the basket against St. Rita. l Gary Middendorf~For Sun-Times Media
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Updated: January 8, 2012 8:17AM
When Marist needed a big shot made Tuesday night against No. 4 St. Rita, Lexus Williams answered the call.
The junior poured in a team-high 25 points, 10 of which occurred in a nail-biting fourth quarter, to lead No. 5 Marist to a 74-71 victory over host St. Rita in the Jack Callahan Memorial Game.
Williams was 8-of-11 from the field, including 3-of-4 from the three-point stripe, and converted 6-of-8 free throws. The performance earned him the Jim Griffin Most Valuable Player Award.
“It means a lot to me, but I didn’t win this by myself,” Williams said.
No, he didn’t.
Sophomore Nic Weishar was a force inside for the RedHawks (5-0), registering 23 points, 16 of which came in the first-half. Junior L.J. McIntosh added 11 points to Marist’s cause.
“I’m really proud of our kids,” Marist coach Gene Nolan said. “They played hard and they gave a tremendous effort.”
St. Rita (2-1), which played without injured starters A.J. Avery and Dominique Matthews, was led by senior Tony Hicks (26 points), sophomore Victor Law (17) and freshman Charles Matthews (16).
With the exception of a 10-5 run to start the game, St. Rita played catch-up most of the night. The RedHawks responded to the Mustangs’ quick start with a 15-2 run that gave them a 23-15 lead.
A trey by Williams late in the second quarter extended Marist’s advantage to 32-22.
St. Rita never relented, though. The Mustangs’ effort was rewarded when Hicks turned a steal into a layup and 39-38 lead.
Moments later, Law brought the Mustangs crowd to its feet with a rejection of a Weishar shot attempt. St. Rita appeared to have the momentum.
Marist, however, eventually would turn the tides and take a 68-57 lead on a McIntosh tip-in with 2:22 to go.
St. Rita had one last comeback, closing to within 71-70 with 15 seconds to go. Matthews was a force scoring 15 of his 16 points in the second half. Williams, however, buried two free throws and Morty Berglind one for a 74-71 lead. A game-tying three-point try by Hicks at the buzzer was short.
