Beattie leads St. Joseph’s to easy win in league semifinals

St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy won the opening tip, and its point guard corralled the ball, looking to set up the offense.

The offense, though, was standing just a few feet away, waiting for the ball.

Stephen Beattie caught and released with no one in his face for an easy 3-pointer, just 11 seconds into the game.

And so began Beattie’s bullish first half.

The 6-foot-2 senior made Thursday night his, tallying 27 points and leading the Wolves (14-9) to a 54-36 win over Carson Long Military Academy in the Mid-State Athletic Conference semifinal at the Rob and Alice Thomas Student Life Center.

“My shot has been feeling real good lately,” Beattie said. “I owe it all to my teammates really. ... They give me the confidence in games to put up that good shot or take that drive. It really helps.”

Beattie has scored north of 40 points this year, so Thursday wasn’t a season-high.

But it certainly could have been.

Beattie didn’t see the floor in the third or fourth quarters. The first half was all that was needed from him.

He paced the Wolves’ offense early, scoring 12 and 15 points in the first and second quarters, respectively. Thanks to the forward’s 10 field goals — four of which were 3-pointers — St. Joseph’s held a 17-2 advantage after the first quarter, and a 39-7 lead at halftime.

Beattie wasn’t just deadly from deep, either. He used his go-to move of driving the baseline a few times to attack the rim, while pulling up from mid-range on occasion.

He wasn’t missing, and Carson Long couldn’t keep track of him.

“We knew he was the shooter,” Warriors coach David Comolli said, “and believe it or not, we were trying to play some defense on him.”

Comolli said St. Joseph’s ball rotation was too much for his players to handle. Freshmen guards Shawn Beattie and Jack Mangene did well to distribute around the perimeter and into passing lanes — and when open, they found the hot-shooting senior.

“If you’ve watched Stephen over the last few weeks, no surprises,” St. Joseph’s coach Richard Ciambotti said of Beattie. “He’s been pretty much lights out, regardless of opponent.”

Though, there wasn’t any temptation to put him back out on the floor in the second half to see if he could score more.

“There’s no reason to risk injury or pile on,” the coach said. “They’re a league opponent. You want to show a little respect for a league opponent.”

Plus, Ciambotti was pleased to get other players some time on the floor.

Every player on the Wolves’ bench got at least a handful minutes, and a few made a second-half impact. Junior forward Joe Johnston had two field goals, while freshmen RJ Marsh ran the point well and Lance Hamilton had three points.

“It’s very important for us to take a look at who’s next,” Ciambotti said. “That’s always kind of fun.”

Meanwhile, Beattie was fine sitting out the second half alongside fellow senior Mikey Kresovich.

He used the time to rest his legs. The Wolves have a couple noteworthy games on the horizon as St. Joseph’s plays in the Mid-State Athletic Conference final on Saturday, and starts District 6 playoffs on Monday.

“We were kind of just taking it easy,” Beattie said. “Just getting ready for the big game on Saturday.”

This story was originally published February 11, 2016 at 9:54 PM with the headline "Beattie leads St. Joseph’s to easy win in league semifinals."