WEIRTON — The Weir boys’ basketball followed up its emotional victory against Wheeling Park Tuesday night by picking up another big win Friday night.

Weir led John Marshall, 16-15, late in the first quarter before ripping off a 27-4 run capped by a 3-pointer early in the third to increase its advantage to 24 points. The Monarchs battled back and pulled within 12 points, however, the Red Riders ripped off a 15-0 run to pull away en route to a 70-45 victory Friday night on Ron “Fritz” Williams Court inside the carl Hamill Fieldhouse.

“We got into our pressure defense, and we got some steals,” Weir (2-1) head coach Anthony Santangelo said about what his team was able to do during its big run in the first half. “We played team basketball. We got the ball to (Damir) Mowder in the paint, (Anthony) Jeffers was able to dribble drive and (Teddy) Glyptis hit some big shots. We moved the ball, and we wore them down with our defense.”

The Red-and-Black led by as many as 27 in the fourth.

“They hit some shots,” first-year John Marshall (2-2) head coach Mike Thomas said about what the Red Riders were able to do to build their 24-point advantage early in the second half. “Our defense was not good enough. We couldn’t make shots, and we had some turnovers. They shot the ball well, and we did not handle adversity.

“We played hard. We fought until the end. We will learn from this. This will make us better heading into our next game.”

After making four field goals in the first, the boys from Marshall County were held without a field goal in the second. That drought came to an end with 5:33 left in the third as the Monarchs converted a three-point play.

After building their 24-point lead, the wheels came off for the boys in white as they struggled offensively for most of the remainder of the third.

“Yeah, we pulled off the press, and we did not react well,” Santangelo said. “We got into foul trouble. We got out of our offense. We dribbled into traffic. We had some turnovers.

“We brought Jeffers back into the game, and our offense moved well after that. We got the ball to Damir in the paint. We were able to make some shots, and we made them play our game on defense.”

The visitors closed to within 45-30, and it appeared as if they would draw even closer, however, a traveling violation wiped away layup keeping the home team’s advantage at 15 points. The victors responded with a three-point play to go up by 18, and they led 50-31 entering the fourth.

The Monarchs pulled to within 52-38 with 6:30 left to play in the game. The basket capped a 19-9 spurt. Later, a 3-pointer moved the Monarchs to within 53-41.

“We ramped up our pressure,” Thomas said about what led his team to get back into the game. “We pressured them, and they folded. We were able to get some turnovers. Unfortunately, we could not make shots. We got as close as 12, but not making shots prevented us from having the chance to get into striking distance.”

After both teams traded baskets, the Red Riders ripped off a 15-0 run to go up by 25.

“We made them play our game,” Santangelo said about what led to his team’s big run in the fourth. “We got some steals. We got some easy baskets. We got some layups.

“We started to be patient in our offense. We had some good passes. We got some good looks. We stopped playing me ball, and we started playing as a team.”

The Red Riders biggest lead came at 70-43.

“They got back into their pressure, and we could not hit shots,” Thomas said. “Then, the game got out of hand. We will be fine. This is a learning experience. We will learn from this. We play a good Bellaire team Monday.”

Four players produced double digits in points for Weir. Individually, Mowder delivered a team-high 19 points to lead the way offensively. Jeffers finished with 16 points, Zotique Douglas collected 15 and Glyptis tallied 11.

Kayden Knapp produced a team-high 19 points to lead the way for John Marshall, while Jackson Helms netted eight.

“They played man,” Santangelo said. “We watched film. They are a gritty group. We have to get grittier and grittier. He has a young team. They are a new team. They’ll do well. They are a team that plays really hard.”

After defeating the Patriots Tuesday 51-49 in overtime on a basket by Syncere Stevens with less than 5 seconds play, the Red Riders tried their best to avoid a letdown against the Monarchs.

“Absolutely,” Santangelo said. “That is why we came in here Wednesday. I told them it was a great win, and that I hoped they enjoyed it, but we had to get ready for John Marshall. That is where our focus was.”

Stevenson, who is a junior, ran the show for Weir against John Marshall.

“He did a great job of attacking against Wheeling Park,” Santangelo said. “He was able to get into the lane, and he was able to put the ball in. He is our floor general. Tuesday night, he did a fantastic job. He is our floor general. He managed the games. He’s our Tom Brady. He does a fantastic job for a first-year varsity player. He continues to learn, and he will continue to get better.”

Weir is scheduled to play rival Big Red at 7 p.m. tonight at the Franciscan University of Steubenville as the third and final game of the MBC Blue Collar Classic. The Catholic Central boys are slated to play rival Madonna at 3 p.m. before Franciscan University plays Penn State Shenango at 5.

John Marshall will play Bellaire Monday night on the road.

Weir 70, John Marshall 45

John Marshall 15 4 12 14 – 45

Weir 18 22 10 20 – 70

JOHN MARSHALL (2-2): Snyder 1 2-4 4, Watkins 2 2-2 7, Gaiser 1 1-2 3, Helms 3 1-2 8, Haught 1 0-2 2, Martin 0 1-2 1, Knapp 4 10-14 19. TOTALS: 12 18-30 45.

WEIR (2-1): J. Kaczmarek 1 2-2 4, Mowder 9 1-1 19, Stevenson 0 1-2 1, Douglas 7 0-0 15, Glyptis 4 0-0 11, Jeffers 6 3-5 16, Thorn 1 0-0 3, Meneely 0 0-0 0, E. Kaczmarek 0 0-0 0, Bailie 0 0-0 0, Grays 0 1-2 1. TOTALS: 28 8-12 70.

3-POINTERS: John Marshall 3 (Warkins, Helms, Knapp); Weir 6 (Glyptis 3, Douglas, Jeffers, Thorn)