ALTON - Marquette Catholic's boys basketball team in Alton is off to a sensational 14-2 start.
The Explorers rolled past Mount Olive 61-28, cruising to a 42-12 halftime lead Tuesday night at Marquette Catholic School.
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“It was kind of a breather game and we needed one,” Marquette Catholic head coach Steve Medford said. “We played hard and got after them. Obviously, we were a more talented team. We played defense really, really well. The key for us is to guard and get better every game defensively.”
Isaiah Ervin and Sammy Green led the Explorers in scoring Tuesday night with 18 and 15 points respectively.
Coach Medford said the team is off to a great start.
“We have had some good wins,” he said. “He was just really proud of the guys and how they responded after the loss to Breese Central. We beat three Class 3A teams in a row in the recent tournament. I thought we got better each night at Columbia.”
Green and Ervin have emerged as scoring leaders for the team and players the Explorers can count on each year. Green is a junior and Ervin a sophomore, so both have unlimited potential, Medford said.
“Sammy distributes the basketball and takes care of ball in critical moments,” Medford said. “He hits critical shots and we are lucky to have him on our team. Ervin keeps getting better and better. Ervin has unlimited potential and gains confidence every game. Both Green and Ervin have college potential.”
Six-foot-7 junior center Jake Hall has also been a scoring threat in all of Marquette’s first games.
“Jake Hall is steady and has done a good job,” Medford said. “He is a big guy to rely on near the basket. We have a good combo of inside and outside with Jake. Jake it to for a lot of folks to match up against.”
Medford said if the team continues to play with 100 percent intensity, there is great potential for the rest of the season.
“This team could be one of the best ever for me,” he said. “I am in my seventh year. The team still has a way to go defensively. We would likely play Waterloo Gibault in the regional. If we get out of the regional, we would likely play Nashville or Pinckneyville after that.”
Medford said he loves coaching and working with the Marquette Catholic players.
“I enjoy the competing part and being around the kids and making them become accountable human beings,” he said.
Marquette Catholic next travels to Brussels for a 7:15 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, contest.
