Under the lights in Concord, NH, Deerfield JV Boys Basketball put together a commanding second-half performance to defeat St. Paul’s 52-32. Facing a scrappy, high-energy opponent, the Doors overcame a long scoring drought in the first half before pulling away after the intermission.
First Half
St. Paul’s opened in a 2-3 zone, but Deerfield attacked it early as Marty Rodriguez Pastor ’28 drained a three-pointer and then finished a layup off a Teddy Hamadeh ’26 block to put the Doors up 5-3. Will Machnik ’26, MacGregor Hynds ’26, and Hamadeh worked together to pick apart the middle of the zone with sharp passing, but a nine-minute scoring drought allowed St. Paul’s to claw back and tie the game at 13-13. Deerfield regrouped, found its rhythm, and closed the half on a 7-0 run to take a 20-13 lead into the break.
Second Half
Deerfield came out firing to start the second half. Machnik knocked down a three-pointer right after the intermission, and Hamadeh followed with a strong inside finish. Then Rodriguez Pastor took over, scoring eight straight points to break the game open. He buried a fast-break corner three, then sent a defender flying with a shot fake before finishing a layup off the glass, and followed it with another corner three—this time to a chorus of “Move on!!” from the Deerfield bench—pushing the lead to 35-18.
Jay Rich ’27 kept the momentum going, grabbing an offensive rebound and scoring inside. Moments later, Rich delivered a perfect backdoor pass to Machnik for an easy two. Sungmin Ahn ’26 added a three-pointer, while Carter Schloat ’28 got the crowd buzzing with a soaring one-handed block. Rodriguez Pastor dazzled with a smooth spin move, and Rich capped off a dominant second half with another layup to extend the lead to 20. Deerfield controlled the final minutes, securing the 52-32 victory.
Standout Performances
• Marty Rodriguez Pastor ’28: 19 points (3 three-pointers), explosive second half
• Will Machnik ’26: 16 points (2 three-pointers), steady playmaking
• Teddy Hamadeh ’26: 4 points, 4 blocks, defensive anchor
• Jay Rich ’27: 4 points, key assists and hustle plays
• Sungmin Ahn ’26: 3 points, clutch shooting
• MacGregor Hynds ’26: 2 points, key rebounding and zone offense
• Carter Schloat ’28: 2 points, highlight-reel block
• JJ Kicza ’28: 2 points, strong defensive presence
The Doors’ second-half surge, fueled by defensive stops, sharp passing, and hot shooting, sealed another strong road win. With only two games left in the season, Deerfield looks to carry this momentum into the home stretch.