NASHUA, NH — A four-game win streak, including a win over defending state champs Trinity and a 17-point thumping of Salem, had the Memorial boys basketball team feeling pretty good about itself this week.
A visit to Bishop Guertin, Friday night, brought the Crusaders back to Earth. The Cardinals used a smothering defense to build a 22-point lead midway through the second quarter and cruised to a 65-48 win.
“We just never really got off the bus,” said Memorial Coach Danny Bryson. “I thought we came out flat. And then … when they started trapping, they forced a bunch of turnovers. We just never really played our game.”
Senior guard Matt Santosuosso poured in 19 of his game-high 21 points in the first half to lead Bishop Guertin. Luke Anderson added 15 points, along with six rebounds and two steals.
Memorial (4-3) got 15 points from sophomore Devin Lavallee and 14 points and six rebounds from senior Mateo Ancic. But no one else had more than seven points for the Crusaders and sophomore Christian Bilolo, one of Memorial’s top offensive weapons this season, was held scoreless.
Bishop Guertin’s defense was relentless, combining a full-court press with an aggressive man-to-man that trapped anywhere and everywhere. Senior Spencer Matazzo had four of the Cardinals’ 12 steals, as Memorial was forced into 21 turnovers.
Bishop Guertin (4-2) set the tone early, starting the game on a 7-0 run and building an 11-2 lead over the first four minutes. Memorial was able to weather the early onslaught and trailed just 16-8 after the first quarter.
Unfortunately for the Crusaders, they would never get any closer. Bishop Guertin blew the game open with a 16-2 run to start the second quarter, pushing its lead to 32-10.
Still, Memorial refused to roll over. Ancic drilled a pair of 3-pointers as part of an 11-2 run, helping the Crusaders pull to within 34-21 with a minute to play in the half.
But any hope for a dramatic comeback was snuffed out when Memorial went without a field goal for the first 4:25 of the third quarter, as Bishop Guertin’s lead ballooned to 46-22.
“With good teams, you just can’t afford to put yourself behind the 8-ball. I was telling them that before the game,” said Bryson. “We finally started playing our game about midway through that third quarter. But by that point, you’ve used so much energy trying to come back out of the hole you dug.”
Memorial has no time to mope about the loss. The Crusaders will play host to Bedford (6-1), Tuesday at 7 p.m.
