Last year's Serra and Archbishop Riordan regular season West Catholic Athletic League games were offensive battles (Serra 64-63 2OT in San Mateo and Riordan 52-44 in San Francisco) when compared to the first meeting this season. Both teams came into the game with identical 9-3 (1-1 league) records as Serra won 33-32 in this defensive struggle. Both teams still have many question marks as league play continues.
Based on the starting lineup, Riordan had a size and an athletic advantage with 6-foot-8 Karim N'Diaye and 6-foot-3 Eddie Stansberry. However, the Padres play 10 deep with interchangeable players ranging from 6-foot-0 to 6-foot-5. 6-foot-9 freshman Jack Wilson is on the roster and was on the bench but did not see any game time.
Neither team had more than a two-possession advantage as the Crusaders had a first quarter 7-6 lead and a halftime 20-16 advantage. The Padres won the third quarter and lead 26-25 after three before holding on for the 33-32 win.
The leading scorer was junior Jeremiah Testa who came off the bench for Serra to tally seven points and tied for a game high eight rebounds. Serra head coach Chuck Rapp said after the game that this team's sum is much greater than its individual players. The Padres played tenacious defense all over the court, won the majority of the 50-50 balls, and caused several jump ball situations. Conversely, the team has no playmakers that can create offense when the half-court offense stagnates and the guards had some difficulty breaking the full court press.
Serra goes to 10-3 and plays Sacred Heart Cathedral and Archbishop Mitty in their next two games as these two teams have either athletic playmakers or superior size. The Padres already lost to a bigger St Francis team. The outcome of the next two games will indicate where the Padres are in the WCAL pecking order.
Riordan's main players of N'Diaye and Stansberry had five and four points respectively. The Crusaders missed all seven of their 3-point attempts and the team committed 21 turnovers. The team drops to 9-4 and faces St Ignatius next.
Like Serra, the Crusaders lost to St Francis already and will also be tested by Sacred Heart Cathedral and Archbishop Mitty later in the season. But Riordan will have to play more efficiently and more team-oriented to have a chance in those games.
No comments:
Post a Comment