The Saint Patrick Shamrocks opened the East Suburban Catholic Conference portion of their 2005-2006 season by going on the road to defeat the Lions of Saint Viator by a score of 54-45. Sam Maniscalco and Edmond O’Callaghan were the Shamrocks top two scorers, with Maniscalco tallying a game-high 17 points and O’Callaghan adding 14. Mike Giller did everything but score, handing out 11 assists, while grabbing six rebounds and recording four steals.

The first quarter was very evenly played, with the lead changing hands five times, and neither team able to establish a lead larger than three points. At the end of one, the Lions lead was two points at 17-15. The Shamrocks opened the second quarter with a 12-0 run, keyed by Mike Giller and Paul Delles to open a 27-17 lead with 3:22 left to play in the half. Following a second quarter in which they outscored the Lions 15-2, the Shamrocks took a 30-19 advantage into the locker room at the half.

Saint Patrick maintained a double-digit lead throughout most of the second half. The Lions got the lead down to six points with 1:29 left in the third, but the Shamrocks put the game away with a 9-0 run over the next eight minutes, stretching the lead back to 15 points.

Maniscalco had five steals and four assists to go with his 17 points, while O’Callaghan posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. The Shamrock defense held the Lions to 34% shooting from the floor, including 3- 19 from three-point range, tallying 11 steals and forcing 18 Lion turnovers. Saint Viator controlled the backboards, out rebounding the Shamrocks by a 37-24 margin.