Chargers edge Shamrocks for E.S.C.C. Title
February 25, 2008

The Saint Patrick Shamrocks traveled to Westchester last Friday to face the Chargers of Saint Joseph for the East Suburban Catholic Conference title. The Shamrocks and Chargers were tied atop the conference with identical 10-2 records. The Chargers topped the Shamrocks 69-64 in a game that truly lived up to the hype that preceded it.

The Shamrocks started the game as well as they could have hoped. Over a four-minute stretch the Shamrocks went on a 21-7 run, keyed by David Campbell, Bryan Smith and Bradley Bruno. The red-hot Shamrocks led by a score of 30-18 after one quarter. The Chargers were too good and too proud to just give up, especially on their home floor, and they methodically whittled away at the Shamrocks lead over the next two quarters, tying the game at 49 after three quarters.

The fourth quarter was a back and forth affair. Saint Joseph took the first lead, but the Shamrocks fought back to tie the game at 58 with 3:44 remaining. A three-pointer by David Campbell, his fifth of the game, and a Jerome Robinson lay-up, off a Tim Traversa feed, gave Saint Patrick a 63-58 lead. The Chargers tied the game at 64 with 1:15 remaining on a three-pointer by Nick Rogers. The Shamrocks decided to hold the ball for the last shot, but Rogers stepped in front of a Smith pass at half court and raced in for a lay-up that gave the Chargers a 66-64 lead. With a chance to tie or even win the game on the final possession, the Shamrocks took a timeout with 13 seconds remaining. On the ensuing inbounds play, it was ruled that Smith had stepped on the sideline while catching the pass, turning the ball over to the Chargers. Saint Joseph then threw a long pass to Diamond Taylor, who scored on a lay-up, as Smith fouled him, to ice the game with 10 seconds remaining.

Campbell paced Saint Patrick with 22 points, while Robinson added 16 points and five rebounds. Bradley Bruno contributed 15 points off the bench. Smith scored eight points and dished out seven assists, while Traversa handed out eight assists and grabbed five rebounds.

The Shamrocks are seeded tenth in the Maywood (Proviso East) Sectional of the Illinois High School Association’s Class 4A Boy’s Basketball Tournament, widely recognized as the toughest sectional in the history of boy’s basketball in Illinois. Saint Patrick will host the Chicago(Saint Patrick) Regional. The IHSA has changed the teams and schedule for the Regional. The corrected schedule for the entire Chicago (Saint Patrick) Regional is as follows:

Monday, February 25
Game 1 at 7:30 p.m.: (14) Chicago (Steinmetz) vs. (19) Chicago (Clemente)
Tuesday, February 26
Game 2 at 7:30 p.m.: (3) Chicago (De La Salle) vs. Winner Game 1
Wednesday, February 27
Game 3 at 7:30 p.m.: (6) Chicago (Lincoln Park) vs. (10) Chicago (St. Patrick)
Friday, February 29
Game 4 at 7:30 p.m.: Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3