Whether he was bulldozing his way to the bucket, knocking down a 15-foot jumper, or flying in for a putback, there was no stopping Sleepy Hollow's Jonathon Martin Monday night.
Martin, a chiseled 6-foot-2 forward, erupted for a career-high 38 points en route to a 70-44 drubbing of Alexander Hamilton. The Horsemen broke out of an early 0-2 funk to garner their first victory of the young season.
"Tonight it was all about working hard, being focused, and just not letting up at all times," said Martin, who scored 21 first-half points and was rendered unguardable.
"It feels alright to get the win under our belt, but now we've got to right the ship. Our focus is on the next game and just executing our plays and playing tough inside and outside."
Sleepy Hollow (1-2) bounced back from a tight, pulsating 70-69 loss to Lincoln Hall over the weekend. After Lincoln Hall's Corey Blair hung 22 points on them, the Horsemen made a concentrated effort to ratchet up their defensive pressure.
Putting the clamps on paid dividends.
The lockdown man-to-man defense worked to Sleepy Hollow's advantage in the second half, as the Horsemen instigated a torrent of turnovers that led to fast break buckets.
While Sleepy Hollow graduated one of the top scorers in recent memory in Justin Best, Martin said he doesn't feel the burden of filling the scoring void that Best (who now plays for Springfield College) and a slew of seniors left behind.
"We definitely buy into the team concept," said Martin, who nearly doubled his previous career high (2o points). "We're more like a well-rounded team, it's on us to play together."
Sleepy Hollow busted out of the second half gates ready to light up the scoreboard.
Jorge Berenguer's mid-range jumper kick-started a 10-2 run that Hamilton never recovered from.
The streak swelled the spread to 46-28 four minutes into the fourth quarter.
Sleepy Hollow ran away with it, as Sleepy Hollow coach Tony Baxter emptied out his bench.
Martin had a tip-in and a 15-footer that provided Sleepy Hollow with an insurmountable 50-33 bulge.
Sleepy's hustle was relentless, as they dove for loose balls and continued to apply tight defense.
Hamilton's Desmond Foster, he of the prodigious handle and mano-e-mano moves (dude has some Rucker in him), scored 26 points to pace the Red Raiders.
Berenguer, a veteran starter, finished with 14 points. He pounded the ball inside to Martin and got to the free throw line early and often.
"We have a young team this year and I'm feeling comfortable being the leader," said Berenguer.
Berenguer knocked back a pair of free throws to give the Horseman a commanding 25-13 lead in the first quarter. He then kicked it to Martin, who buried a turnaround jumper as Sleepy Hollow seized early control of the game.