The Purple and Gold controlled the action from start to finish, never trailing for a single second against the Shamrocks, in the 73-51 Senior Night victory. With the win, the Pilots avenged their early season defeat at the hands of Catholic Central (a 60-50 loss at CC on January 14).   

“We shot the ball better, so when you shoot the ball well, you can get into your defensive sets and play at a faster pace,” De La Salle head coach Gjon Djokaj said after his team’s most decisive victory in Catholic League play this season. “I thought we did a really nice job of breaking down their defense and finding shooters and making the extra pass. The energy was high. We played for our seniors. We love those guys and what they mean to our school and our community. So obviously, the energy was extremely high.” 

Junior Triston Nichols led all DLS scorers Tuesday with 21 points. He also added four rebounds and two assists. 

Additionally, junior Nino Smith contributed 13 points, and senior Tamario Adley recorded 10 points and seven rebounds.    

Adley, along with fellow players Stavro Kiryakoza, Caleb Reese and A.J. Whitehead, plus managers Jack Nelson and Luke Wilking, were honored during a pregame ceremony as part of Senior Night.  

“These seniors mean more than words can explain to this team,” Gjokaj said. “They bring it every single day. They work extremely hard. Caleb is a four-year varsity guy, really the ‘lunchpal’ type player. He brings the energy and effort every single day. Tamario Adley has bought in from day one, and is a special talent and works very hard. A.J. Whitehead has been on varsity for three years, and he’s a ‘junkyard dog’ type. He buys into his role – no matter how big or how small – and is a captain for us. And, Stavro is obviously a fan favorite. He’s a special kid, willing to accept any role and has a no job too big, no job too small type mindset.”

Freshman Phoenix Glassnor also posted 12 points off the bench. 

Next up for the Pilots (10-3, 3-3 Catholic League Central Division) is a Catholic League clash with the Detroit U-D Jesuit Cubs Friday. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at U-D Jesuit High School.  

Other basketball scores

Junior varsity 

De La Salle 53, Catholic Central 47: Freshman Armoni Portis scored a team-leading 15 points in the De La Salle victory. With the win, the Pilots improved to 12-1 overall and 5-1 in Catholic League Central Division play.    

Next up for the Purple and Gold is a Catholic League tilt with the U-D Jesuit Cubs Friday. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. at U-D Jesuit High School. 

Freshman

De La Salle 38, Catholic Central 30: Mason Stempin scored 15 points in the come-from-behind win for the Pilots (11-1, 5-1 Central Division), which trailed by as many as 16 points in the contest. Peter Tocco was the recipient of the hardhat for the night, with a gritty performance on both ends of the floor. 

Next up for the Purple and Gold is a divisional contest with U-D Jesuit Friday. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. at U-D Jesuit.