Bonner & Prendie bench strength on display against Carroll

RADNOR – Were you to skim the boxscore of Bonner & Prendergast’s 61-44 win over Archbishop Carroll Friday night, the eye would naturally be drawn to the two largest numbers.

There’s the 19 points and eight rebounds from Isaiah Wong, then the 13 points and 11 boards from Tariq Ingraham. But to assume that those figures told the story of a relatively comfortable Catholic League win in which both stars headed to the bench to a round of applause with more than a minute remaining would be incomplete. And that truth illustrates just how dangerous a team the Friars can be.

That quick glance misses the game-changing contributions proffered up and down the roster. Like Malik Edwards’ three first-half 3-pointers. Or the six points, three rebounds, two assists and four defensive deflections by an active James Welde in an abbreviated stint. Or two putback buckets from deep frontcourt reserve AJ Burnett. As much as the Division I talents of Wong and Ingraham, it’s the supporting cast that has powered Bonner to the upper rungs of the Catholic League.

“We rely on the bench,” Ingraham said. “Our bench runs deep. To have those players come in for us, get us a break and then get right back in, we’re still right at the same pace.”

Depth has been a theme all year for the Friars (12-1, 7-1 PCL). Seven of them have scored 10 or more points in a game, and the attacking variability makes them a nightmare to guard. And when you key defenders to stop Wong and someone like Edwards makes you pay, it can be psychologically deflating.

On the most significant sequence of the game, Tyreese Watson played the biggest part for Bonner. Carroll (9-7, 5-3) trailed by 11 in the third but ended the frame on a 5-0 mini-run authored by Amiri Stewart, including a 3-pointer banked home from 35 feet at the buzzer to cut the deficit to 44-38.

But Wong and Watson blunted the momentum immediately. Wong blocked a drive by Ny’Mire Little, corralled the rebound and in one motion threaded a stretch pass on the bounce to a streaking Watson, who laid it up and in while being fouled. Watson missed the tack-on free throw, but he cleaned up his miss for a basket, restoring a 48-38 lead. Bonner would outscore Carroll 17-4 in the final frame.

“I thought we had the momentum coming in, only down six,” Stewart said. “We had momentum but they went off and we couldn’t stop them.”

Amiri Stewart banks home a buzzer beater.
After 3, Bonner 44, Carroll 38 pic.twitter.com/B755iET0sr

— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) January 19, 2019

Stewart’s made 3-pointer was a rarity on a cold-shooting night for the Patriots, who were without regulars Zaiaire Jenkins-Johnson and John Camden. Carroll was just 2-for-18 from beyond the arc, the other make from big man Anquan Hill in a rare sojourn out of the paint. Carroll shot 16-for-48 from the field and never established a consistent mode of offense.

Stewart led the Patriots with 12 points. Luke House added eight on just 3-for-14 shooting (not coincidentally, Wong was the one shadowing him defensively), and Little and Hill scored seven each.

Isaiah Wong the third chance bucket. 43-33 Bonner. 2:25 left 3Q. Friars threatening to separate permanently pic.twitter.com/Zoh6qxT6Bk

— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) January 19, 2019

Ingraham answered a strong second quarter from Tairi Ketner by muting him the rest of the way. With the Friars holding a 44-32 edge on the glass and Ingraham adding three blocks, easy offense near the hoop was at a premium for Carroll.

“It really gets me fired up, gets me motivated and gets the team motivated,” Ingraham said of his blocks. “It gets us fired up and keeps the team going to get those runs.”

PHOTO GALLERY: Bonner & Prendergast at Archbishop Carroll

“Our plan on defense is to completely shut them down, get them aggravated and make them go against themselves,” Watson said. “… We’ve got to stay focused no matter what. If they hit a couple of threes, it doesn’t matter, because we do the same thing. We’ve got to stay locked in.”

That defense doesn’t come from one player; it’s just another product of the top-to-bottom focus Bonner prides itself on.

“It’s great because we have one of the deepest teams in the league,” Watson said. “It’s great for us to be able to have a bench to our top guys rest.”