Sports and Rants with Brett and Pants : The Friendly Jesuit Match-Up

Saint Joseph’s Hawks pulled away with a win against Fordham Rams. Phil Martelli said himself that if the game was played away, they would not have won. The Hawks broke their four game losing streak. The team stopped feeling sorry for themselves and kept their heads up after being winless the past 26 days. James Demery, Shavar Newkirk, and Aaron Brown earned their first Atlantic 10 win.

Chris Wilson had a career night with 23 total points. Most of his points came from behind the arc. With making five of nine three point attempts. Despite having a noticeable limp in the second half, Wilson scored 12 points. Both DeAndre Bembry and Chris Wilson were six for six from the free throw line, and as a team the Hawks were 19 for 22. Besides free throws, another that factor that separated Saint Joseph’s from Fordham was the amount of second chances. The Hawks had 17 more rebounds than the Rams, which helped them to have 14 second chances.

Recently, the biggest concern for the Hawks has been turning the ball over. Between the Fordham and VCU, the Hawks have 36 turnovers. St. Joe’s knows how to handle the ball. They may not have shooting skills, but they do have ball skills.

In conference play, James Demery is averaging 8.8 points per game. He is also making a positive difference defensively as well. James Demery will be an impactful part of the team moving forward. He has become a valuable piece of the team. Any fan can tell that his confidence has grown by the fact that he has become more assertive. The power that he attacks the rim at is why the initially Hawks offered him a contract.

James Demery can also contribute with strong perimeter defending. It appeared that Demery and Bembry took turns defending Fordham’s best shooter, Eric Paschall. They held him to 16 total points. Perimeter defending was supposed to be one of the stronger parts of this year’s team. The two wing guards have athleticism that St. Joe’s needs to take advantage of.

- Pants