M-A hosted crosstown rival Sacred Heart Prep (SHP) on Saturday, January 31. The Bears maintained their flawless home record, defeating the Gators 65-50.
The Bears came out slowly, trailing 17-8 at the end of the first quarter, struggling to answer the Gator’s three early three point shots, but began to close the gap during the second quarter, ending the first half down 27-23.
With momentum in their favor, the Bears came out fast and strong during the third quarter. Senior point guard Christian Fioretti contributed scored 11 consecutive points on a layup, a three-point shot, and two three-point play drives. The Bears’ aggressive full court press and fast-paced offense shook the Gators, giving M-A the edge going into the final quarter ahead 47-42.
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M-A wore SHP down during the fourth quarter by spreading out and controlling the fast pace of the game. A team effort contributed to a final score of 65-50. M-A’s guards led the Bears in points: junior Eric Norton, senior C. Fioretti, and senior Lucas Fioretti scored 21, 15, and 11 points respectively.
C. Fioretti concluded, “During the second half, we started to play the way we have played all year. We put pressure on their guards and forced a bunch of turnovers. That was a great momentum changer because we got fast breaks and open looks at the basket. I think our team is best in the open floor. Our guards also did a great job attacking the rim and being aggressive in the second half, but it all started on the defensive end.”
Norton added, “We knew that [SHP players] Mason Randall and Connor Moses were great shooters. Randall had 14 points in the first half, so we know that we had to step up big in the second half by speeding up the game.”
Be sure to support the Bears on senior night this Friday at M-A at 7:30 p.m.!
