SOUTH CITY • When it feels good, Bryce Dolan has been told to shoot it.
The Borgia guard must have felt spectacular Monday night. Dolan went on a 14-0 scoring binge all by his lonesome and buried four 3-pointers on consecutive possessions, one farther back than the last, to help Borgia push past host St. Mary’s 60-53.
“When it feels good, it feels good,” the 6-foot Dolan said. “I’ve been told when it feels good, shoot it.”
Dolan finished with a game-high 29 points and knocked down six 3-pointers as Borgia (18-4), the No. 8 team in the STLhighschoolsports.com small-schools rankings, has now won back-to-back games after dropping two straight at the Ameritime Classic last week at Missouri Baptist University.
“I was kind of in a slump at the Ameritime tournament,” Dolan said. “I got my head on my shoulders.”
The Knights jumped all over the Dragons. They led 12-0 before St. Mary’s attempted its first shot. Borgia was flying around, forcing turnovers and defending inside and out. Only after St. Mary’s took a timeout and caught its breath did the Dragons settle in and start chipping away.
“I think we really quit moving,” Borgia coach Dave Neier said. “We were able to get that big lead and let them right back in it.”
St. Mary’s (10-9) managed to get the lead to single digits late in the fourth quarter, but was never closer than nine until the final score. Take away those first four minutes and the Dragons played neck and neck with the three-time defending Class 4 finalist. It was encouraging for St. Mary’s coach Ed Perniciaro.
“We’ve had some slow starts. We’ve talked about changing our warm up,” Perniciaro said. “The No. 1 thing for us was to compete. I’m proud of the way we did that in the second half.”
Neier saw a different approach out of the Dragons in the second half.
“I think they got a lot more aggressive,” the Borgia coach said.
Sophomore guard Josh Robinson led the Dragons with 17 points. Senior guard Jon Connelly scored 16.
But Dolan owned the night. His 3-point barrage in the middle of the second quarter was as pure a shooting exhibition as you’ll see. His range appeared limitless as he was just a few steps past half court when he pulled up and knocked down one of his long-range jumpers.
“He’s got some range,” Neier said. “He’s a pretty complete ball player. He understands the game.”
He showed that on the next possession after the final trey during his outbreak. Dolan dribbled to the wing, saw two defenders race towards him and hit a cutting Casey Kuchem for a layup. As nice and easy as could be.
The Knights don’t get too much time to enjoy this victory. They welcome No. 2 large school Vianney on Friday for a 7:30 p.m. tip.
