Moving On! DeBrito Leads Bishop Stang On To Division 3 State Finals After 20 Point Victory

The Bishop Stang Spartans aren’t letting up. The Spartans, who trailed by 14 points in their last two tournament games, broke open a two-point halftime lead and put it into turbo during the second half as they cruised to a 63-43 victory in the Division 3 state semifinals against Bedford.

According to the Herald News, “Bishop Stang will face Oxford, 45-44 winners over Hoosac Valley, on Saturday in the state final in Springfield.

Bedford raced out to an 8-2 lead in the first half and held an 18-16 lead before Damian Perry banked in a 40-foot 3-pointer as time expired in the opening quarter, giving the Spartans a 19-18 lead.

In the second quarter, Stang shot 3 for 12 from the floor, and Bedford went 3 for 15. The Spartans outscored the Bucs 9-8 and took the 28-26 lead into the break.

However, the tables turned as the Spartans defense was unstoppable in the second half. Bedford shot 4 for 31 from the field and never got within single digits after Avery DeBrito hit a jumper to give the Spartans a 39-27 lead.

The Bedford Bucs missed their first 10 shots from the floor in the second half and did not make a field goal until Jack Cowan scored to make it 44-32 with 56 seconds left in the third quarter.

The Spartans were never threatened in the final quarter as the Bucs never got any closer than 12 points.

DeBrito finished with a team-high 14 points, while fellow senior Greg Fernando added 13.

With additional reporting by Sal Lopez