When 7-foot center Keiner Asprilla transferred from Don Bosco Prep to St. Peter’s Prep, he was expected to be the missing piece to help put the Marauders over the top.
St. Peter’s lost in the Non-Public A North final last season and in the state final two years ago, and the addition of Asprilla — ranked the No. 1 center prospect in the country by 247Sports — is going to make any team immensely better.
In the New Year’s Jump Off at Paterson Kennedy on Wednesday, St. Peter’s got to make a statement to the rest of the state about just how dangerous it can be.
St. Peter’s, No. 7 in the NJ.com Top 20, beat No. 1 Bergen Catholic from start to finish in a 65-51 victory.
“We were working hard for this game because they’re the No. 1 team in the state,” Asprilla said. “We want to be that No. 1 team, too, so we were working harder. That paid off and we beat them. I feel comfortable with the team because they allow me to do more things. I just got to keep working.”
Asprilla led the way with 18 points and seven rebounds, but St. Peter’s also showed off the rest of the supporting cast it has at its disposal. Richie Rosa was the engine of the offense with 16 points and six assists. Erik Porch finished 6-for-6 from the field on his way to 15 points, and Mason Santiago recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
“Our early bumps have helped us a lot,” St. Peter’s head coach Alex Mirabel said. “Being a coach, I’m getting a lot older and a lot wiser. I understand that every day for us is just getting better. We just try to work twice as much now. We have a bunch of new kids not used to the things that we do. It’s a good win for the program. It’s very impressive to see those guys play.”
Asprilla was at his best in the first quarter with 10 points and a baseline layup by Nick Ferdinand beat the buzzer to give St. Peter’s Prep a 23-13 lead. The success for the Marauders continued into the second quarter as they went ahead by as many as 19 points.
A steal and a dunk by Rios gave St. Peter’s a 28-16 lead and started a 11-4 run to really blow the game open. A three-pointer banked in by Rios, a bucket by Asprilla inside and a nice catch-and-shoot three-ball by Force off a pass from Asprilla when he was doubled accounted for the points of that run.
“We knew Bergen Catholic is a tremendous team,” Mirabel said. “We got into a really good start and stayed at it. We managed to score some baskets to alleviate a big run from them. That was the biggest thing to not let them go on a 10-0 run to get back into the game.”
The St. Peter’s offense was not as crisp in the second half as the Marauders only managed 22 points, but the defense remained consistent and Bergen Catholic was never able to make a big dent in the deficit. Having Asprilla in the middle to be a rim protector is a huge force for the defense. It has taken a lot of effort to get Asprilla acclimated in a new system and to gain chemistry with new teammates, but it is all starting to come together.
“He’s getting acclimated,” Mirabel said. “It’s been a challenge early on, but little by little we’re trying to get better. Taking to him daily and watching film, I know he’s a great young man with a very high IQ. He’s starting to get it. He really makes a huge difference for our defense because he’s able to block shots or send guys away from the rim. We don’t play much zone, but he did a really good job today on Declan (Wucherpfennig).”
A 46-40 loss to Colonia to open the season was an eye-opener for St. Peter’s, but since then things have certainly turned around quickly. The Marauders are a team that is hungry to get that state championship after coming so close the previous two seasons.
“After we lost to Colonia, it was hard,” Asprilla said. “We’re going to finish it this year. We’re going for the ring. That’s all I gotta say. That’s our mindset right now.”
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Matt Bove can be reached at mbove@njadvancemedia.com
