By Greg Payne
PEABODY — Even when Bishop Fenwick doesn't run its offense through center Mike Clifford, it can still come out with a convincing win.
Once again, the senior center proved he can dominate a game — and more than just as the focal point of an offense. Such was the case last night as Clifford scored a game-high 28 points and ripped down 17 rebounds to go along with five blocks as Fenwick sprinted past North Cambridge Catholic, 78-63.
North Cambridge Catholic repeatedly sent three men at Fenwick's point guards in the backcourt, thus increasing the game's pace and creating openings for other wing players further down the floor.
"They were trying to jump our guards a little bit, so we had guys wide open," Fenwick (8-1) coach Mike Kane said. "If they're wide open, we want them to knock down shots and take it to the hole, so if (NCC) was playing more halfcourt sets or half court zones, we would have looked to Mike inside. But they're running three guys at our guards, so we're looking for the opening."
One Fenwick guard who benefited from the openings was senior Nolan DiPanfilo, who poured in 21 points. The 1-2 punch of DiPanfilo and Clifford was complimented nicely by senior Phil Eagan, who continued his consistent year.
"He had a sprained ankle at the beginning of the season, so he started off a little slow. Bu the last two games he's really come on," lauded Kane of Eagan. "He's been crashing the boards hard, he's been rebounding the ball and he's been finishing inside. And defensively, he's been playing great for us."
After a back-and-forth first quarter, two baskets by Eagan sparked a 12-3 Fenwick run that gave the hosts a 21-12 lead heading into the second. Eagan would finish with eight points in the first frame to jump-start Fenwick's offense, and ended his night with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
"I came out real strong and I felt it," Eagan said. "I like getting those stats more because it shows you work hard."
Fenwick would close the first half on another quick 10-4 spurt to carry a 42-29 lead into the break.
Despite being down early, NCC (3-3) wasn't throwing up the white flag. The Panthers leapt out of the gate to start the third with an 11-0 run courtesy of baskets from Mario Monroe (14 points), Robinson Vicmont (20 points), and Rayshawn Morris (6 points). The Panthers scraped the deficit all the way to two points (42-40), before a Clifford offensive rebound and putback restored order for Fenwick.
After a short rest, Clifford rejected a Catholic jump shot, then grabbed the defensive rebound and finished it off by sprinting down the court to put in a layup. A quick 5-0 burst by Nolan and younger brother Brett DiPanfilo followed and helped secure a 62-47 Fenwick lead
"I've got to give Fenwick all the credit. They earned it. They worked hard," said NCC coach Dan Salazar.
