Wham!

That was the sound reverberating in the Jack Malarkey Gymnasium Monday night.

The guy creating the noise was lanky 6-4 senior jumping-jack Julian Cerullo of Marian.

Cerullo did an in-your-face slam on the Lourdes’ defenders. It was most certainly the highlight of the night as the Colts buried the Red Raiders, 69-32, in Schuylkill League action.

The Colts, who won their sixth straight game, improved to 7-1 overall and 5-1 in Division 3 play. Lourdes is winless in Division 2 at 0-5.

While Cerullo left the lasting impression, Marian barely was tested by the Coal Township-based team. Yeah there was a bump or two in the road; the Colts didn’t exactly burn the nets, but they did dominate the boards.

The sore spot for Marian, if there truly was one, was its inability to shoot effectively through the first two quarters (12-for-40). Despite that, the Colts still led 30-14.

“We had a pretty comfortable lead at half, despite not shooting too well. But in the second half we shot the ball better,” said Marian coach John Patton.

Indeed, Marian heated up in the third period (9-for-18) and went 7-for-16 over the final eight minutes, despite having nary a starter on the floor for the final six minutes.

“We haven’t seen that many zone defenses and that kind of hurt us early,” said Patton. “But our defense was very, very good all night.

“And Julian’s slam set everybody off on the bench - and the few fans who were able to see it.”

Fanning the offensive flames was senior Dante Agosti, who took game honors with 16 points, including four treys. Brendan Lonergan muscled his way to 12 points, Dewin Concepcion had 10, and Cerullo and John Malarkey added eight apiece.

The Colts zipped in front 11-2 at the start and held a 17-7 lead after a quarter. Despite a cold shooting second quarter, (5-for-20), Marian continued to extend its lead thanks in large part to its defense.

“Cerullo is always in the right spot, to protect the basket and that’s important because it allows us to play up on the perimeter,” Patton said.

The Colts turned to Agosti to open the third period as he drained two triples. Concepcion and Cerullo also contributed in the quarter as the Marian lead grew to 52-25.

The starters’ departure was triggered after a Lourdes turnover to open the final eight minutes led to Cerullo’s slam.

OFF THE GLASS ... Despite Lourdes featuring two 6-4 players inside, the Colts were monsters on the boards. Concepcion led the way with 12, while Lonergan added 11.

LEADERS OF THE PACK … Tyler Novack led Lourdes with 11 points. The Raiders also received 12 boards from Hunter Reed.

BROOMS OUT … Marian won the JV contest, led by the Chambers brothers - Carsyn with 14 points and Chris with 13. Joe Walko chipped in nine.

LOURDES

Potter 1-0-0-2, C. Sandri 1-0-0-2, Hughes 0-0-0-0, O. Sandri 0-0-0-0, Reiprish 1-0-0-2, Feudale 1-0-0-3, Novak 4-1-6-11, Keer 4-0-1-8, Reed 2-0-0-4, Lammonica 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 14-1-7-32.

MARIAN

Fritz 1-0-0-3, Concepcion 3-3-5-10, Agosti 6-0-1-16, Ch. Chambers 1-1-2-4, Ca. Chambers 0-0-0-0, Cerullo 3-2-3-8, Malarkey 4-0-0-8, Valente 2-0-0-6, Nyer 1-0-0-2, Currie 0-0-0-0, Lonergan 6-0-0-12. TOTALS: 27-6-11-69.

Lourdes 7 7 11 7 - 32

Marian 17 13 22 17 - 69

Three-pointers: Lourdes - Novak 2, Feudale 1; Marian - Agosti 4, Valente 2, Fritz 1, Concepcion 1, Ch. Chambers 1.