Junior Guard Sam Maniscalco burned up the nets with his hot shooting last weekend, leading the Shamrocks to a pair of road wins. Maniscalco averaged 35 points per game, shooting 67% from the field, 59% from three point range, and 91% from the free throw line, as Saint Patrick defeated Notre Dame and Elk Grove.

On Friday night the Shamrocks continued their domination of the series with the rival Dons of Notre Dame. Maniscalco came out gunning, scoring all 13 points in the Shamrocks’ 13-0 run to start the game. Following a Notre Dame basket, Michael Fahey drained three straight three-pointers to make it 22-2 in favor of the Shamrocks. A Maniscalco lay-up made it 24-2 at the end of the first quarter. Jimmy Larkin opened the second quarter with another three, making the lead 25 points at 27-2. Notre Dame countered with a 17-6 run that made it 33-19 at the half. The Dons would get no closer than 13 points, and a 10-0 Shamrock run in the third quarter put the game away. Maniscalco finished the game with a game-high 31 points, connecting on 10 of 16 shots from the floor, six of nine three-pointers, and five of six free throws. Fahey was the only other Shamrock in double digits with 13 points. Ed O’Callaghan grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked three shots, and Mike Giller added eight assists, five rebounds, and five points. The Shamrocks have taken complete control of this rivalry, winning 15 of their last 16 against the Dons, including seven straight at Notre Dame.

On Saturday night the Shamrocks traveled to Elk Grove to take on the Grenadiers of Elk Grove High School. The teams battled back and forth throughout the first half. Giller and Mike Mockler each scored four points in the first quarter, and the teams were deadlocked at 13 after one period. O’Callaghan tallied 10 points in the second quarter, and the teams went into the half tied at 30. In the second half, Maniscalco, who spent long stretches on the bench in the first half due to foul trouble, took over the game, hitting three three-pointers and scoring 12 points as the Shamrocks pulled ahead 46-41 in the third quarter. Little did anyone suspect that Maniscalco was just getting warmed up. In the fourth quarter he poured in 20 points, carrying Saint Patrick to a 72-63 victory. Maniscalco was a perfect 10 for 10 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter, and he scored the Shamrocks final 15 points of the game. Maniscalco finished with a career-high 39 points, and he was 10 for 14 from the field, four of eight from three-point range, and 15 of 16 from the line. “He’s one of the premier point guards in the state,” said Saint Patrick coach Mike Bailey. “He was the difference-maker for us.” Elk Grove coach Steve Messer seemed at a loss for words following Maniscalco’s dazzling second-half performance, “He did a nice job,” said Messer. Giller, who scored 14 points, and O’Callaghan, who added 10, were the only other players that reached double digits for the Shamrocks.

This weekend the 16-4 Shamrocks host a pair of huge games featuring the top three teams in the East Suburban Catholic Conference. On Friday the second-place Shamrocks take on third-place Marist. The following night Coach Gene Pingatore brings his 19-1 Chargers of St. Joseph in to face the Shamrocks.