McDonald Fills Every Column as Green Wave Hold Serve at the Top

The Shoreline men’s league packed a stat-sheet stuffer, a three-point shootout, and a couple of nail-biters into one Wednesday night at East Shoreline Catholic Academy — and the top of the table didn’t budge.

Around the League

The headline act was Jeremy McDonald, who turned in the kind of line that makes a scorekeeper’s hand cramp. In the Green Wave’s 63-59 win over Black Mamba, McDonald poured in 38 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, then added 6 assists, 5 steals and 3 blocks for good measure — a near quadruple-flirtation that touched every category on the sheet. He got help where it mattered: Patrick Boutilier knocked down three triples on his way to 14 points, and Tyler Copple anchored the paint with 8 points, 17 rebounds and 4 blocks. Black Mamba had every reason to stick around — Colby Morawski was terrific with 23 points and 10 boards, and Paul Votto chipped in 16 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists — but four points was as close as they’d get.

Over in the night’s grittiest tilt, the Huskies survived 50-47 against the Knicks in a game that came down to the final possessions. Ryan Florentine carried the scoring load with 24 points and 11 boards, drilling three from deep, while Neil Anglemire did just about everything else — a monstrous 23 rebounds to go with 8 assists and 3 steals. The Knicks got 15 from Jeremy Staub on three triples and a well-rounded 8-point, 12-rebound, 5-assist night from Brian Jackson, but couldn’t quite dig out of a three-point hole.

The Red Storm handled the Bulldogs 64-54 behind a pair of scoring guards: Branden LaPia with 22 points and Jason Erxleben with 21 points, 4 steals and a nose for the ball. David Orr quietly stacked a near double-double of 9 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists. The Bulldogs got a valiant fight from Mason Carey, whose 21 points, 17 rebounds and four made threes were the best any Bulldog has looked in a while — but the supporting cast topped out at nine points, and Red Storm pulled away for the 10-point win.

The Standings

No reshuffling this week — every team held its position, but the storylines underneath are shifting. Green Wave stay perched at No. 1, stretching their win streak to four and pushing their point differential to a league-best +72. The Huskies kept pace at second with their second straight win, while Red Storm made it two in a row of their own to hold third. The Knicks slipped to a two-game skid but cling to fourth, and Black Mamba dropped a close one to fall to 3-7. The Bulldogs, despite Carey’s heroics, remain winless on the season at 1-9, their skid now at nine.

Movers & Shakers

• Star of the week: No debate. Jeremy McDonald (Green Wave) led all scorers with 38 points and topped the league in steals with 5, all while flirting with a triple-double thanks to 17 boards, 6 assists and 3 blocks.
• Scoring chase: Behind McDonald came the Huskies’ Ryan Florentine (24), Black Mamba’s Colby Morawski (23), and a Red Storm duo of Branden LaPia (22) and Jason Erxleben (21) — with Bulldogs’ Mason Carey matching that 21.
• Glass and dimes: Neil Anglemire (Huskies) swept two categories at once, leading the week with 23 rebounds and 8 assists.
• Rim protection: Tyler Copple (Green Wave) paced everyone with 4 blocks.
• Double-doubles: Four of them this week — McDonald, Florentine, Morawski and Carey all posted double-digit points and rebounds.

See you next Wednesday.