MC rolls in opener

MALDEN — In its first game of the season, Malden Catholic dominated in the first half and cruised to an 83-55 win over St. John’s of Shrewsbury in a nonleague game Tuesday night.

“It’s awesome to get a win here,” said Malden Catholic coach John Walsh about his Lancers debut. “Obviously, I went to school here, so it’s awesome. I love it. I love it.”

Junior Tony Felder scored 19 of his game-high 31 points in the first half with 15 of those coming in a first quarter that saw the Lancers leading 33-14 at the end of it.

“Tony is such a ballhawk and the kids feed off that stuff,” said Walsh. “It is great.”

Junior Jeff Hill added 17 points and five steals as the defense led to a number of baskets over the first 16 minutes.

The Lancers forced St. John’s (0-3) to turn the ball over 21 times in the first half with 14 of those coming in the second quarter. Malden Catholic’s lead grew to as many as 29 as they led 49-24 at the half.

St. John’s played much better in the second half, outscoring Malden Catholic 13-10 in the third, but nine more points in the fourth for Felder put the seal on this one after the Pioneers cut the deficit to 65-50 about midway through the final frame.

“We got guys getting ready to play still on the bench in street clothes,” Walsh said about the first outing of the season. “When we get them back, then we can take another step forward.”

For the Pioneers, Nathan Bangandozou and Edward Fischer each scored 14 points.

STuART CAHiLL PHoTos / HeRALd sTAFF PUSH IT: Malden Catholic’s Jeff Hill goes past Beau O’Beirne of St. John’s (S) on Tuesday night. Below, Malden Catholic’s Tony Felder dives to the floor to get after a loose ball during the Lancers’ win.