O'Connell's Matt Lewis brings the ball up-court in the first half of Tuesday's home game vs. Ireton.
O'Connell's Matt Lewis brings the ball up the court against Ireton.

#5 O’Connell 71, #8 Bishop Ireton 61

#5 Bishop O’ Connell is one of the region’s dominant programs. #8 Bishop Ireton would like to get to that level.

The two WCAC rivals met in an afternoon contest on Tuesday in Arlington, and the result was a spirited battle that saw the bigger, stronger Knights eventually overpower the Cardinals, 71-61. But it wasn’t easy.

O’Connell raced to an early lead, with JMU-signee Matt Lewis leading the way for the Knights. Lewis, a 6’4″ guard, didn’t miss any of his eight free throws in the first half en route to 13 points at the break. The Knights controlled the glass, generally not allowing the Cardinals second looks at their basket.

Hines had 28 in a losing cause for Ireton.
Hines had 28 for Ireton.

Fortunately for Ireton, when guard Darius Hines shot the ball no second chances were usually necessary. Hines, a 5’11” junior guard, erupted for 20 points in the first half. Time and time again when O’Connell threatened to pull away, Hines answered.

For example, he produced a four-point play to draw the Cardinals to within 22-21 with 6:15 left in the second quarter. When O’Connell then went on a 6-2 run, Hines drew a foul on a three-point shot and made all three free throws to bring Ireton back to a two-point deficit. Thanks to him, O’Connell could only manage a 35-32 lead at halftime.

The Knights, perhaps realizing they were vulnerable for an upset, seemed to re-focus their intensity after halftime. They ratcheted up the pressure defense, forcing more turnovers and holding the Cardinals to ten third quarter points. O’Connell made a concerted effort to get the ball even more to 6’9″ center Nate Watson, which resulted in foul trouble for the smaller visitors. And they continued to pound the glass.

“It really hurt us that our big guy [Arminas Kleisys] got knocked out of the game and had stitches,” said Ireton coach Neil Berkman. “The 12 offensive rebounds they got in the second half really demoralized us a little bit and gave them too many extra possessions, and you can’t give a good team extra possessions.”

Still, Bishop Ireton didn’t quit down nine after three quarters. The Cardinals clawed to within 59-53 with 3:47 left in the game, but a Lewis bucket off a steal and a nice drive by junior guard Xavier Johnson gave the Knights a double-digit lead. The game was effectively over after that.

Nate Watson drains a free throw as Jamie Pasha looks on.
Nate Watson drains a free throw as Jamie Pasha looks on.

“”I thought we competed much harder in the second half and ran a better half-court offense,” said O’Connell head coach Joe Wootten.

Lewis led the way for O’Connell (3-0) with 22 points and four assists. Providence-signee Watson finished with 20 points down low, as well as ten rebounds. Johnson added 13, and reserve guard Matt Becht proved an efficient choice against Ireton’s zone, as he contributed two threes in the second half and helped with ball movement on offense.

Hines finished with 28 points for the Cardinals (2-1). Senior Jamie Pasha contributed 16 points, five rebounds and two assists. While the Cardinals were disappointed in the loss, optimism still pervades through Berkman’s program, which presently has seven seniors on the team.

“We’re gaining a little bit of confidence because we’ve been together for a long time,” he said after the game. “Our guys are starting to get it. O’Connell’s a team in our league, a good team, and we have to step up to the challenge. Our entire philosophy is playing for the end of February, and traditionally the last seven years teams really don’t like playing us at the end of the year. We’re trying to earn the respect then that we’ll hopefully deserve.”

–Chris Jollay

Stats are unofficial

BISHOP O’CONNELL FG FT TP RBS AST
LEWIS 5-14 10-12 22 5 4
JOHNSON 5-9 3-4 13 6 0
BAUCUM 1-5 0-0 2 4 1
BROWN 2-7 0-2 4 9 1
WATSON 7-15 6-11 20 10 0
Becht 2-3 0-0 6 1 0
Banks 0-0 2-2 2 0 0
Sullivan 0-1 0-1 0 0 0
Berry 0-1 2-2 2 5 0
TOTALS 22-55 23-34 71 40 6
Three Point Shooting: Lewis 2-8, Johnson 0-2, Baucum 0-1, Becht 2-3
BISHOP IRETON FG FT TP RBS AST
LYNCH 2-13 3-6 7 0 2
HINES 9-17 5-5 28 2 2
KLEISYS 0-0 1-2 1 7 1
PASHA 6-14 2-3 16 5 2
EVERETT 2-3 0-0 5 1 1
Hamer 0-4 1-2 1 0 1
Hill 0-0 0-0 0 3 0
Dockery 0-2 0-0 0 2 0
Beckett 1-2 1-2 3 5 0
Kwelberg 0-1 0-0 0 1 1
TOTALS 20-56 13-20 61 26 10
Three Point Shooting: Hines 5-7, Lynch 0-3, Pasha 2-5, Everett 1-1, Hamer 0-2, Dockery 0-2