In the second game of the CCS open division championships, the boys basketball team lost to the Archbishop Riordan Crusaders 79-29 on Monday night.
Riordan, the fourth-best team in the state, started off strong, hitting a three-pointer to open the game. The Bears struggled to get on the board and were forced to call a timeout at 7-0 two minutes into the quarter. Junior point guard Jacob Sutton put M-A’s first points on the board from midrange, but the Bears’ offense couldn’t build on the momentum. They battled to get open but couldn’t find the net until senior shooting guard Trevor Cadigan’s short jumper minutes later put the score at 12-4.
Several sloppy turnovers from M-A allowed Riordan to go on a scoring run in the last few minutes of the quarter, hitting three consecutive three-pointers. The Bears had further troubles with the Crusaders’ aggressive offense, conceding seven points from free throws in the first quarter. Junior center Will Abdella made a free throw in the final seconds of the quarter, ending with Riordan powering ahead 27-5.
The second quarter got off to an even slower start. The Bears created offensive opportunities but none of their shots fell. They had difficulty with the Crusaders’ height and physicality, ending the quarter without scoring, 45-5.
With the first half behind them, the Bears found their footing in the third quarter. Cadigan knocked down a three-pointer, and junior small forward Jerry Williams lit up the board with two more three-pointers, putting the score at 53-14. Though Riordan kept up the offensive aggression, M-A matched their pace with a putback from junior shooting guard Bryce Winters and two short jumpers from Williams. Both teams traded three-pointers in the final seconds of the quarter, which finished with the Bears down 66-24.
“I think we could’ve started out stronger, and I think going into the third we had a little more energy,” Abdella said.
The Bears lost momentum in the fourth quarter with turnovers on offense and failing to stop the Crusaders while on defense. The Bears were able to generate some pressure, however, with Cadigan and senior small forward Brady Santoro each scoring putbacks. Williams swished a free throw to make the score 77-29 with two minutes to go. An uneventful last few minutes closed out the game with a Riordan win, 79-29.
“Coming up against the number one team in NorCal, there’s really almost so much you can expect,” junior power forward Aiden Atkins said. “You know, play hard, but the outcome is the outcome.”
“It was a great opportunity to play such a good team. Now we know the level we have to get to,” Abdella said.
“The main thing to take away from this game is that it was at a different pace—a little faster than we’re used to, and we’re gonna bring that speed to Wednesday’s game,” junior shooting guard Axel Pilette said.
The Bears will play Archbishop Mitty on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. in the final game of the CCS Championships.
