Vancouver College's Toni Maric was a tower of power as he led the Fighting Irish to victory Tuesday. (File photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Boys Basketball

Toni the Tiger! Fighting Irish senior big man Maric prowls paint, his 13 fourth-quarter points huge in Indy win over St. George’s Saints

Toni Maric may have been in a fourth-quarter pickle, but on Tuesday, it just seemed to be a case of more pressure the better for Vancouver College’s senior big man.

Despite starting the fourth quarter with four fouls, the 6-foot-8 senior did what he does best, and against the Saints, it was a steady diet of strong takes to the basket followed by soft-handed finishes at the rim.

Maric’s 12 fourth-quarter points, all in the paint, where just what the doctor ordered as the host and No. 4-ranked Fighting Irish rallied from a five-point deficit with 4:20 remaining to beat their rivals, the No. 3-ranked St. George’s Saints 90-89 in the first of their annual home-and-home Quad-A Independent League series.

The return engagement is set for Feb. 6 at Saints.

Vancouver College took a 68-66 lead into the fourth quarter on Tuesday, and before the final frame was just over a minute old, the Irish had threatened to run away with things.

Hunter Cruz-Dumont’s steal and 80-foot drive for a lay-in, followed by a Maric lay-up made it 72-66 for the home team.

St. George’s, however, gathered themselves and over a span of just 1:38 strung together an 8-0 run for a 74-72 lead with 6:02 remaining.

Ao Ma took a dish from point guard Jerric Palma, and his spinning lay-in through contact allowed him to complete an and-one play from the stripe.

Ma then took a dish on the baseline from Jaxon Cohee for another lay-in, pulling his team to within 72-71.

A defensive stop and some nice ball movement at the other end of the court teed up a three-point opportunity for guard Darian Lenett, and he knocked down the long-distance shot for a 74-72 advantage. It was Saints first lead of the entire game.

The final half of the final quarter, however, was even more tense the first.

Maric, who had sat a short spell, returned, and his lay-in with 5:48 left tied the game at 74.

Cohee scored through contact for St. George’s but missed his and-one opportunity as Saints re-took the lead at 76-74. Palma followed with a three for a 79-74 lead with 4:52 left.

The Irish rallied back from five points down on two lay-ins and a pair of free throws by Maric, as well as a bucket off an offensive rebound by fellow forward Luc Therrien. That surge was offset by a bucket from St. George’s Will Lin, but Vancouver College had re-gained the lead, this time 82-81 with 3:07 left.

A baseline bucket off the window by Palma with 2:41 left restored the Saints lead at 83-82 but it would be their final lead of the game.

That said, the tight nature of the game saw St. George’s knot the score three more times down the stretch: At 85-85 on a Palma jumper, 87-87 off a Ma lay-in, and finally 89-89 when Palma cooly hit a pair of free throws with 15 seconds left.

Vancouver College’s Callum Chow-White, however, was fouled in the dying seconds, hitting one of two from the free throw line to win the game as jubilant Irish fans flooded the court.

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