22-23. 32-35. 40-45.
These were the closest scores St. Monica could muster on Wednesday night. The problem is they could never take the lead over the Cantwell-Sacred Heart Cardinals and the Mariners ended up on the losing end of a 54-42 decision.
“We struggled offensively, missed a lot of shots close to the basket, point-blank layups,” said St. Monica coach Khi-Min Jung. “The kids fought hard. Our defense kept us in it. End of the game, down five with the ball, and we turned it over.”
The Cardinals had their lowest point total since Dec. 6, thanks to some physical play on both ends from the Mariners. The game had 42 total fouls along with two technical fouls and an intentional foul. The Mariners threw Sacred Heart out of rhythm but failed to get the necessary points to overtake them.
Sacred Heart’s Jose Estrada scored 21 points with clutch free throws putting away St. Monica for good. The Cardinals’ Collins Corey added 11 points.
Troy Whiteto II was the only Mariner in double figures with 17 points.
“We played well,” Jung said. “Of course, going into the game, we expected a different outcome.”
St. Monica will play Friday at Bosco Tech at 7 p.m.
