HOOPS: Arthur Hill vs. DeLaSalle

**Pookie lays in two off the glass**
**Northwestern commit Alex Marcotullio**
**sophomore Jalen Bland**

**Omari Humes boxes out Kevin McCarthy**

Warren- 19 to 2, that was the lead the DeLaSalle had after one quarter of play was in the books. The first quarter saw DeLaSalle run their half court offense and get open look, primarily Alex Marcotullio who was able to score eight points in the opening quarter.

Then it was Maurice "Pookie" Jones who handled the final three quarters as well as he handles the basketball. Pookie and his Lumberjack teammates picked up the pressure and forced 12 turnovers in the second quarter that allowed Arthur Hill to outscore the Pilots 26-12 and five straight points from Pookie to end the quarter cut the Lumberjack deficit to 31-28 at the half.

A Pookie steal, with 4:40 to play in the third, led to a Dell Simon basket which gave Arthur Hill their first lead of the game at 39-38. Kevin McCarthy responded with four straight points for DeLaSalle but the Lumberjacks went on a 7-2 run to end the third quarter and take a 50-44 lead into the fourth.

A 3-pointer from Marcotullio followed by a baseline jumper from Ben Hayes tied the game at 59-59 with 1:35 to play but Pookie's lay up gave the Jacks a 61-59 lead and a steal and dunk from Chris Webb gave the Jacks breathing room as Arthur Hill finished off DeLaSalle from the free throw line for a 69-62 win.

BREAKDOWN: It's tough to have a 19-2 lead after one quarter and loose the game but you knew the Jacks were going to pick up the pressure and Arthur Hill got good shots but just couldn't buy a bucket in the opening quarter. The game was a battle for the final three quarters however it was Arthur Hill who dictated the pace of the game which eventually wore down the Pilots.

PLAYER OF GAME: Maurice Jones, Hill- Pookie just flat out dominated this game. He pushed the ball and the pilots just couldn't run with him. Pookie is becoming a consistent 3-point shooter as he knocked down 4 of 5 on his way to 23 points and 10 assist.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES

Jalen Bland, Hill- scored all 11 of his points in the second quarter and that was critical in helping the Jacks get back into the game.

Omari Humes, Hill- Humes played his first game in two weeks and still isn't quite 100% but he was healthy enough to throw his body around in the paint. He needs to regain his feel shooting the ball but he was still a defensive force and pulled down 6 boards.

Mike Schaaf, Hill- out played McCarthy for most of the game by just getting better position and playing more physical.

Alex Marcotullio, DLS- finished with 15 points on mostly open looks but failed to capitalize when he had a hand in his face. Also looked foolish at times defensively when he was caught guarding the much quicker Pookie and tried swiping at the ball.

Kevin McCarthy, DLS- got some shots to fall near the basket but didn't stand out like a future D-1 player should.

Sterling Johnson, DLS- made some nice passes in the first quarter and looked confident running the offense but once the Hill picked up their pressure Johnson was no where to be found.