Bendis dominant in St. Joseph victory over Riverview

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, January 4, 2019 | 11:27 PM

If basketball doesn’t work out for St. Joseph standout senior Grant Bendis, he might want to think about owning a paint store some day. The 6-foot-2 guard owned the paint Friday, pulling down a career-high 22 rebounds to go with his game-high 19 points to lead the Spartans past a hot Riverview team 60-38 in a nonsection matchup.

“The main goal was obviously to win,” Bendis said. “We got the job done as a team, and that’s what we’re looking to do. I go into every game thinking that it’s going to be a battle, and I’m not going to underestimate a team based on their height.”

Riverview was riding the high from its dramatic come-from-behind win over Section 1-AA rival Northgate on Thursday night, and St. Joseph was riding a three-game winning streak, winners of seven of its last eight games. The one-time section rivals had plenty to prove at St. Joseph’s Walter Dlubak Athletic Center.

Bendis’ performance on the boards impressed his coach, Kelly Robinson, who at times was at a loss for words.

“That’s a hard thing to do to get that many rebounds,” Robinson said. “He’s in there banging. You got to work at it, but to get 20-plus rebounds, you really have to work at it.”

St. Joseph (9-2) came out and played fast and fresh like a team that hadn’t hit the court in nearly a week. Senior guard Daniel Fábregas ran the point guard position with precision, threading the needle on no-look passes that kept the Riverview defense on its heels from the onset.

Riverview (5-4) junior guard Nate Black gave the Raiders their first and only lead of the game at 2-1 with a short pull-up jumper. But was clear the Raiders needed another stellar performance if they wanted to win.

“We were at a disadvantage for a couple of reasons,” Riverview coach Paul Sapotichne said. “They played very well, and they’re a good team but (Thursday’s) game was pretty emotional coming back the way we did, and playing back-to-back was pretty hard.”

Spartans senior Matt Arvay sparked an 8-2 run to get the offense into a groove with 6 minutes, 25 seconds on the first-quarter clock. Arvay finished the night with 14 points, 6 rebounds and one blocked shot.

The St. Joseph offense began to flow in the second quarter. Bendis put the Spartans up 15-9 on a layup early, Arvay drilled a 3-pointer and Fábregas added back-to-back baskets to grow the Spartans lead to 22-10 with 4 minutes, 10 seconds until halftime. Fábregas finished with 14 points and was merciless on defense, coming up with five steals.

“(Fábregas) plays so intense,” Robinson said.

Going in, it was St. Joseph’s plan to stop Riverview standout senior guard Noah Black. Black came into the game as the Raiders’ top shooter and was held in check. Black was held to seven points, which came in the second quarter.

“I thought we did a much better job defensively, and I was real pleased with how the kids were playing (Black),” Robinson said. “He’s such a good shooter, and the kids are getting better at being aware of where their best kid is and where he’s at on the floor.”

Black got into foul trouble midway through the third quarter, and the Raiders’ top scoring threat took a seat on the bench until the fourth quarter.

The Spartans closed the second half with a 29-22 lead. Aiden Sebastian connected on a 3-pointer to open the third quarter, but Spartans went on a 13-6 run to close out the third.

“We cut it to four (points) there halfway through the third, and I thought that we might have a chance,” Sapotichne said. “I just don’t think that we had enough energy to compete with a good team, and that’s what they are.”

Riverview’s lack of energy really became evident in the fourth quarter. The Spartans started the final quarter on an 11-0 run before sophomore guard Gideon Deasy connected on a free throw with 5:16 remaining in the game to end the drought at 54-32. Deasy led the Raiders in scoring with eight points. Five of the Raiders’ seven fourth-quarter points came on foul shots.

“We’re at the point now (in the season) where we’re just tweaking a few things, and we’re just trying to keep them sharp,” Robinson said. “You can see that when they come out to play, they’re intense and that’s big.”

William Whalen is a freelance writer.

Tags: Riverview, St. Joseph