BC High wins rubber match
Will face Brockton in Div. 1 South semifinals
Facing their archrival for a third time and the gym abuzz, BC High refused to disappoint.
BC HIGH 56 CATHOLIC MEM. 50
In front of a sold-out McNeice Pavilion, Mike Loughnane scored 19 points and corralled 11 rebounds as No. 3 BC High overcame a seven-point halftime deficit to knock off Catholic Conference foe No. 6 Catholic Memorial, 56-50, on Friday night at Boston College High School.
With the win BC High advances to the Div. 1 South semifinals to face No. 2 Brockton.
“It was a great atmosphere,” Loughnane said. “All the students came out and packed the place. They give us support when we were down and it picked us back up.”
The two sides split the Catholic Conference crown in the regular season, with each team grabbing a win.
With the play on court resembling an old-fashioned rock fight, the estimated 850 in attendance clung to the edge of their seats throughout.
The Knights held a 26-19 advantage at the break, and a muddied opening minutes of the third quarter left CM up 31-26 with less than three minutes to play in the frame. BC High, however, found its offensive groove. Korey Reynolds finished in transition and Drew Martin knocked down a 3-pointer to tie the game at 31. Moments later, Reynolds gave BC High the lead, hitting a step back trey to give the Eagles a 34-33 advantage heading into the fourth.
Once in front, the Eagles never relinquished the lead. Loughnane hit a corner 3 to push the Eagles up four before Martin knocked down a runner to put BC High up 43-34. Knights star Kurtis Henderson (25 points) tried to keep Catholic Memorial within striking distance as a 3 and a layup pulled the Knights within six with 33 seconds remaining. Kyle Peterson, Loughnane, and Martin combined to hit eight free throws down the stretch to seal the win for BC High.
“You have to be mentally tough against good teams,” Loughnane said. “When things aren’t going your way, you just have to find a way.”
The Knights had control early on as Henderson scored 11 first quarter points to jolt CM out to a 14-6 lead after one. BC High tried to generate some offensive momentum in the second quarter, with a Reynolds trey cutting the deficit to six, but Eoin Gormley and Declan O’Sullivan each hit threes of their own to keep CM up 26-19 at the break.