McDonald Drops 39 as Green Wave Ride the Crest to the Top

The Green Wave surfed to their fourth straight win behind a monster night from Jeremy McDonald, while Black Mamba snapped a losing skid by three and the Huskies quietly climbed the ladder. It was a Wednesday at East Shoreline Catholic Academy where the buckets came in bunches.

Around the League

Green Wave 59, Knicks 36. When Jeremy McDonald gets going, there’s not much you can draw up to stop it. The Green Wave star authored a near-complete stat sheet — 39 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals and a pair of threes — in a 23-point demolition of the Knicks. He had help, too: Shawn Love splashed five triples on his way to 15 points, and Tyler Copple did the dirty work with 11 boards and a game-high 5 assists. The Knicks had no answer despite Alex Hetherington’s 17 points (7 rebounds, 3 threes) and 12 from Brian Jackson. Scott Edmond’s three blocks were a bright spot in a tough night on the scoreboard.

Huskies 51, Bulldogs 43. Ryan Florentine was the best player on the floor not named McDonald this week, torching the Bulldogs for 28 points on four made threes, adding 3 steals for good measure. But the box-score curiosity of the night belonged to teammate Neil Anglemire, who hauled in a staggering 28 rebounds to go with 5 points and 4 assists — a glass-cleaning masterclass. Scott Houghton chipped in 9. The Bulldogs got a sharpshooting 19 from Dan Scandalito (five threes) and a tidy 11-and-7 from Khalid Jabarkhail, but it wasn’t enough to keep pace as the Huskies pulled away for an eight-point win.

Black Mamba 53, Red Storm 50. The night’s nail-biter went down to the wire. Colby Morawski powered Black Mamba with a 19-point, 11-rebound double-double, Paul Votto orchestrated with 14 points and 4 assists, and Mike Iannuzzi (9 points, three threes) provided the outside spacing. Red Storm made them earn it — Jason Erxleben poured in 21 with 9 boards and four triples, Branden LaPia stuffed the sheet with 12 points, 4 assists and 2 steals, and Colin Ryan added 11 and 7. In the end, a three-point margin was the difference, and Black Mamba got to exhale.

The Standings

The top of the table has a new occupant: the Green Wave climb to No. 1 on the strength of their four-game winning streak and a league-best +38 point differential. Their rise nudged the Red Storm down to second, where a second straight loss has cooled a team that still boasts the most points scored in the league (254). The Huskies are surging, up a spot to third on the back of two straight wins, while the Knicks slip to fourth. At the bottom, Black Mamba finally got in the win column and climbed a rung, sending the Bulldogs to the cellar amid a four-game slide despite plenty of firepower on offense.

Movers & Shakers

Star of the Week: Jeremy McDonald (Green Wave). Thirty-nine points. Thirteen rebounds. Five steals. He led the entire league in scoring and steals in the same night while grabbing a double-double. Case closed.

The Scoring Leaderboard. Behind McDonald came Ryan Florentine’s 28 for the Huskies, Jason Erxleben’s 21 for Red Storm, and a tie at 19 between Dan Scandalito (five threes!) and Colby Morawski.

Category Kings. Neil Anglemire’s 28 rebounds is the number everyone will be talking about — a jaw-dropper on the boards. Tyler Copple paced all playmakers with 5 assists, McDonald tied for the steals crown with 5, and Scott Edmond swatted a league-high 3 blocks.

Double-Double Club. Two names punched their tickets: McDonald (39/13) and Morawski (19/11), the latter carrying Black Mamba to their first win.

See you next Wednesday, Shoreline.