The Saint Patrick basketball team suffered their first loss of the season, falling to the ninth-ranked Chargers of Saint Joseph. The game was a back and forth affair that saw the lead change hands 20 times before Saint Joseph pulled away in the fourth quarter. It was much closer and hotly contested than the final score of 66-53 would indicate. Saint Patrick point guard, Sam Maniscalco, was a one-man gang. Rising to the occasion in the Shamrocks’ biggest game so far this year, Maniscalco carried the Shamrocks, lighting the Chargers up for 31 points in the first three quarters on his way to a game-high 33 points.

In the first quarter Maniscalco scored 10 points, Jack McKenna hit a three, and Mike Giller added a lay-up and the Shamrocks trailed 17-15 at the end of one. The game stayed tight in the second quarter, and the teams headed to the locker room at halftime with the Chargers leading 31-28. Maniscalco came out on fire to start the second half, scoring 15 of the Shamrocks’ 18 points in the third quarter. The Shamrocks established their biggest lead of the night at 43-38 with about two minutes left in the period. Over the final 10 minutes, the Chargers would go on a 28-10 run to close out the victory, holding Maniscalco to two free throws in the final quarter.

For the game, Maniscalco tallied 33 points. He connected on six three-point shots, and he was a perfect five for five shooting from the free throw line. Paul Delles, who scored seven points, was the only Shamrock other than Maniscalco to score more than three points.

The Shamrocks are now 6-1 on the season. They are the #4 seed in the prestigious Elgin Holiday Tournament, which boasts the toughest field of any of the holiday basketball tournaments.