DIVISION I BASKETBALL

Boys Division 1
December 6 - South Brunswick
The Boys lost a heartbreaker in their opener against South Brunswick 30-29.  South nailed a three pointer from the top of the key with less than 6 seconds to go for the win.  The lions were unable to get a shot off in the final 3 seconds.  The action was fast paced as many of the team played in their first Division 1 game.  Robert Wilkerson had 21 and Cullum Crowley had 6 to lead the way.  It was a great game played before a large crowd.

December 8 - St. Andrews 
The boys traveled to Myrtle Beach to take on St. Andrews Catholic School in a rivalry that has been played out for over three years.  They came away with a big win 42-28.  Parker Dickens came off the bench to score 6 points to help spark the Lions.  Robert Wilkerson led the way with 30 points.

December 10 - WCA
Playing their fourth game in one week the boys traveled to WCA for their first conference game of the year.  They came away with a 30-19 win.  Christian Brayman and Joe Diamond came off the bench to score their first points of the year.  The boys did a great job with their zone defense to hold WCA to 19 points for the game.  Foster Willis made two big steals in the win.  Robert Wilkerson led the way with 21 and four other players contributed in the scoring.

December 13 - Harrells
The boys Division 1 team is sitting at 3-1 after a hard fought win over Harrell’s Christian Academy 33-32.  They overcame a 9 point deficit at halftime with a strong defensive effort in the second half to hold Harrell’s to 13 second half points.  Stepping up with big defensive plays were Foster Willis, Chris Baker and Christian Brayman.  Cullum Crowley and Robert Wilkerson controlled the boards.  The game was the most physical game of the year and the Lions stepped up big with aggressive play in the second half.  Robert had 23 and Cullum had 8 points.
The boys play again at South Brunswick on Thursday, December 19 and hope to avenge their only defeat of the season.  In the meantime they hope to improve their offensive efficiency at practice next week. 

Girls Division 1
December 6 - South Brunswick
Led by a dominant offensive performance from center Alexandra Erling the Lionesses earned another big victory against the South Brunswick Cougars. After playing a six minute "5th Quarter," where the team did not allow the Cougars to score a single point, the girls came out ready to play, specifically on the defensive end. By allowing only four Lady Cougars to score the entire game (no player scored more than 2 points) the stifling 2-3 zone defense of St. Mark proved to be very effective in holding South Brunswick to just 7 points. Every player for St. Mark was able to get on the stat sheet (registered a point, rebound, steal, or assist) for the second straight game, an extremely impressive feat. The Lionesses improved to 2-0 on the season and play St. Andrews, at St. Andrews, this Saturday December 8th.
A. Erling- 9 points
L. Quinn- 6 points
S. Stanko- 4 points
A. Cameron- 4 points
K. Gregory- 2 points
H. Smithwick- 2 points
M. Kiernan- 2 points


Dec 8 - St. Andrews
Continuing their incredible defensive streak the St. Mark Lionesses traveled down to Myrtle Beach and beat St. Andrews on their home floor 34-12. After jumping out to a strong offensive first quarter, where Katie Gregory scored 6 of the 12 points (as many as St. Andrews scored all game), the ladies never had to look back. Using intense defense pressure, even sometime going to a full-court press to change things up, St. Mark was able to get out in transition showing the blazing speed that everyone on the team possesses. Katie Gregory and Alex Erling led the way offensively each scoring 9 points, while Lillian Quinn, Smantha Stanko, Haley Smithwick, and Cameron Smithwick led defensively having numerous steals and rebounds.

Alex Erling- 9 points
Katie Gregory- 9 points
Lillian Quinn- 6 points
Caroline Cahill- 2 points
Cameron Smithwick- 2 points
Mary Grace Kiernan- 2 points
Anna Sawyer- 2 points
Samantha Stanko- 2 points
Dec 10 - WCA
In perhaps the best game St. Mark has played all season the Lionesses were able to enter Wilmington Christian Academy's gym and come out with a dominating 30-5 win. Defense again spurred St. Mark to victory over the Patriots registering 24 steals throughout the game, 6 of which were swiped by Lillian Quinn (5 other players had 3 steals a piece). Both the offensive and defensive glass were kept clean especially by Alex Erling and Haley Smithwick who had 6 and 5 rebounds, respectively. Offensively, every starter had a bucket in a fairly evenly distributed scoring game. Alex Erling and Katie Gregory had 7 points a piece, while Quinn scored 6. This was a big game for the ladies due to the fact that the next game was against arch rival Harrells Christian Academy.
Alex Erling- 7 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals Katie Gregory- 7 pts, 2 rebs, 3 stls Lillian Quinn- 6 pts, 2 rebs, 6 stls, 1 blk Samantha Meisel- 4 pts, 1 stl Anna Cameron- 4 pts, 3 rebs, 1 stl Caroline Cahill- 2 pts, 1 asst, 2 rebs, 3 stls Cameron Smithwick- 2 pts, 4 rebs, 1 stl Haley Smithwick- 5 rebs, 1 stl Mary Grace Kiernan- 1 asst, 3 rebs, 3 stls, 1 blk Samantha Stanko- 1 reb, 3 stls
(Thanks to Assistant Coach Anna Sawyer for the stats)

Dec 13 - HCA
It wasn't a pretty win, but it was never close when the St. Mark Lionesses went head-to-head with arch rival Harrells Christian Academy. In their lowest offensive performance of the season, the ladies were able to hold true to their defensive principles and hold the Crusaders to only 8 total points. It was an outstanding effort led by the guard play of Caroline Cahill and Lillian Quinn (another 6 steal game) who were constantly harassing the HCA guards while not getting in foul trouble. Alex Erling was dominant on the boards pulling down 8 total while Cameron Smithwick contributed 7 boards of her own. Erling was also the leading scorer for St. Mark with 5 points and C. Smithwick added 4. The Lionesses have moved to 5-0 on the season and has one game remaining until they take some time off for Christmas break.
Alex Erling- 5 pts, 8 rebs, 2 stls, 1 blk Cameron Smithwick- 4 pts, 7 rebs Lillian Quinn- 2 pts, 2 rebs, 6 stls Katie Gregory- 2 pts, 4 rebs, 3 stls, 1 blk Mary Grace Kiernan- 2 pts, 1 reb, 1 stl Samantha Stanko- 2 pts, 1 stl Caroline Cahill- 1 pt, 4 rebounds, 1 stl Haley Smithwick- 1 reb Samantha Meisel- 1 stl Anna Cameron- 1 reb, 1 stl
(Thanks to Assistant Coach Anna Sawyer for the stats)