Seton beats Brother Rice in conference play

By Tony Baranek
YourSeason.com

Mark Weems Jr. was uncharacteristically quiet during the first three quarters of Setons 61-48 Catholic League South victory over host Brother Rice.The Stings leading scorer had as many fouls as pointstwo.Things would change.Hes a closer, Seton coach Brandon Thomas said. That guy scores in a lot of different ways. He can shoot the three, he can get to the cup and he can make free throws.Weems did it all, except for hitting a three, anyway, finishing with 16 fourth-quarter points as the Sting (16-3, 7-0) thwarted a stunning comeback by the Crusaders. J.R. Tolliver added another 18 markers for the winners.Brother Rice (11-8, 5-2) was paced by Alex Majewski (18 points) and Ray Rubio (eight).What looked like a cruise for Seton turned into a wild ride before all was said and done.Brother Rice, which went into the night having made at least one three-pointer in 259 straight games, went 0-for-5 in the first half.Seton, meanwhile, dominated in most phases, including the ridiculous.With 0.4 left in the half, Damian Evans stood at the top of the three-point circle as Kamal Shasi tossed the inbounds pass. In one motion, Evans leaped, caressed the ball every so briefly, then launched what would be a swish.Up 29-18 at halftime, Seton would go on to build a 38-21 advantage early in the third. Then, Brother Rice finally exploded.A layup by Garrett ONeill got it started. Rubio hit a three, the Crusaders first, with 3:30 showing. After Jim Barista connected from beyond the arc with 43.9 seconds left in the period, it was a 40-40 proposition.Our defense wasnt there anymore, Thomas said. And we shot a lot of jump shots in that quarter. Tolliver, we were having success going to him, and all of a sudden we didnt want to go to him anymore.They never did go to Tolliver again, but it didnt matter. Trailing 42-40 at the start of the fourth period, it became the Weems show.The 6-foot-2 junior brought the Sting back into a tie with a short jumper from the side, and followed it with a running bank-in. Shortly after, he drove for a three-point play.Tolliver was 4-of-4 from the field and 8-of-9 from the free-throw line in the final eight minutes.