MAYFIELD – The Mayfield Panthers controlled the boards and the Western Athletic Conference game against St. Johnsville.
The Panthers pulled down 41 total rebounds to complement their outside shooting performance of 10 3-pointers as they defeated St. Johnsville, 64-46, on Saturday at Mayfield High School.
“That is one thing that I have really tried to drive home to them, especially in the last couple of games,” Mayfield coach Brian VanNostrand said. “We had a few games where we did not get over 25 rebounds total as a team. Last game, we got 44 as a team, and won.”
Ryan Hennessy led Mayfield’s rebounding with 18 boards, while Dylan Toscano connected for five 3-pointers en route to his game-high 29-point scoring performance.
“We went on a three-game losing streak where I was getting a little frustrated and I think everyone else was too,” Coach VanNostrand said. “Then, we went into Fort Plain and got a big win against them in overtime. I told them to build off that. It was tough not having a practice yesterday but I told them in the locker room to continue feeding off that win. They have bought into it and I hope they continue to.”
After a slow start by both teams, St. Johnsville’s Alex Hart hit the first basket of the game with 2:52 off the clock. A minute later, Toscano hit two of his eight first-quarter points in the book to help Mayfield to a 10-7 lead at the end of the period.
The Panthers went on a 7-2 run early in the second quarter before the Saints rallied to cut the lead back to three, 17-14. Hennessy scored off an offensive rebound and Toscano drove to the hoop for a pair of baskets to help Mayfield carry a 23-17 lead into the halftime break.
The Panthers came out of the locker room shooting.
Josh Gallup and Toscano opened the period with a back-to-back 3-pointers, which the Saints Brandon Campione answered with a trey of his own.
Toscano hit another from behind the arc that Hennessy followed with his second of the game to extend Mayfield’s lead to 14, 35-21.
With momentum on their side, the Panthers continued to stretch their advantage. Toscano poured in 12 of Mayfield’s 22 third-quarter points to build a 45-25 advantage heading into the final period.
The Saints found their range from behind the arc in the final eight minutes. Jonny Vicciarelli and Dylan Klock hit two 3-pointers apiece as St. Johnsville closed out the game with six-straight 3-pointers in a 21-point fourth quarter.
It was not enough, though, as the Panthers continued their scoring surge, hitting for 19 points in the period to close out the 64-46 WAC North victory.
“There is no rule in basketball that says just because your shot is not falling that you don’t need to play defense,” St. Johnsville coach Jason Brundage said. “But Mayfield shot the ball very well, especially in the second half and you have to give them credit for that.”
Hart finished with 17 points for the Saints, while Klock finished with 12. The Saints hit for a total of eight 3-pointers in the game.
“We had a nice win against Fort Plain and then went to Galway and took care of business there,” Brundage said. “In this league, you have to come ready to play every night. I am not sure we came ready to play tonight. We will regroup and move ahead.”
Toscano hit for five of the Panthers’ 10 3-pointers en route to his 29 point performance. Hennessy finished with a double-double of 14 points and 18 rebounds, while Jay Sweeney contributed eight points to the Mayfield attack.
Mayfield will travel to play Galway Tuesday before returning home Friday to host Canajoharie.
St. Johnsville opens a four-game homestand Tuesday against Northville before hosting Galway Friday. The Saints will play Dolgeville in a make up game from the Coach Cutspec Tournament before closing out the homestand against Schoharie on Jan. 23.
Mayfield 64, St. Johnsville 46
St. Johnsville7 10 8 21 – 46
Mayfield10 13 22 19 – 64
St. Johnsville
Hart 7-2-17, Vicciarelli 3-0-9, Klock 5-0-12, Smith 1-1-4, Campione 1-1-4. totals: 17-4-46.
Mayfield
Toscano 11-2-29, Sweeney 3-0-8, Hennessy 5-2-14, L. VanNostrand 3-0-6, Gallup 1-0-3, J. VanNostrand 2-0-4. Totals: 25-4-64.
3-point goals: St. Johnsville 8 (Vicciarelli 3, Klock 2, Hart, Smith, Campione); Mayfield 10 (Toscano 5, Sweeney 2, Hennessy 2, Gallup).
