The Saint Patrick basketball team ran their record to 13-3 with a pair of home victories last weekend. On Friday night they routed Nazareth Academy by a score of 63-29. The next night they pulled out a 40-39 win over Guerin in the annual “Battle of Belmont” between the rival schools.

Friday night Nazareth scored the first basket of the game, and it was the only lead they would have all night. The Shamrocks went on a 10-0 run over the next two and a half minutes, and they never looked back. The Shamrocks led 21-11 after the first period, and outscored the Roadrunners 15-7 in the second quarter for a 36-18 advantage at the half. The Shamrocks continued to build their lead throughout the second half on their way to an easy 63-29 victory. Mike Giller had his best game of the season. Giller showed his all-around skills with a game-high 22 points, eight steals and six assists. Sam Maniscalco scored 15 points and recorded four steals. Jimmy Larkin and Edmond O’Callaghan each scored seven points, and Michael Fahety added six points for Saint Patrick.

Saturday night the Shamrocks took on the Gators of Guerin College Prep. The game started off similar to the previous night’s game as Saint Patrick went up 11-2 in the first quarter. But this game was destined to be a dogfight. Guerin responded with an 11-3 run that made it 14-13 with three minutes to go in the half. The Shamrocks answered by scoring the final nine points of the period to take a 23-13 lead into the locker room at the half. In the third quarter the Shamrocks extended their lead to 12 points at 29-17 before Guerin roared back to 31-27 at the end of three quarters. The Gators then scored the first five points of the fourth quarter. Jordan Johnson’s jumper with 4:35 remaining completed a 15-2 Gator run and gave Guerin a 32-31 lead. Fahey hit a three pointer and followed with another jumper as Saint Patrick reclaimed the lead for good. Maniscalco hit four free throws down the stretch to protect the Shamrock lead. Johnson’s three with eight seconds remaining made the final score 40-39 in favor of Saint Patrick. Maniscalco led all scorers with 19 points, and O’Callaghan contributed eight points and seven rebounds for the Shamrocks. The Shamrocks were uncharacteristically careless with the ball, committing 15 turnovers.

Having won their last five games, the Shamrocks are currently ranked 22nd by the Chicago Sun-Times. This week they hit the road to face #24 Marian Catholic on Tuesday, then return home to host the Redwings of Benet Academy.