Bishop Guertin boys basketball cranks up defense in 4th to beat Merrimack (video)

MERRIMACK - The Bishop Guertin High School boys basketball team had just one practice to prepare for Thursday night's game against Merrimack.

The Cardinals spent most of that time focusing on their defense, and in the fourth quarter against the Tomahawks, it paid off.

Bishop Guertin held Merrimack scoreless for nearly eight minutes in the second half and the Cardinals did just enough offensively to escape with a 58-51 win over the Tomahawks in a Division I game.

Connor McGowan scored 10 of his game-high 30 points in the first quarter to keep Bishop Guertin (6-6) afloat early while Matt Chau had nine points, including a 3-pointer in the fourth to help the Cardinals take hold of the game.

But after allowing an average of 80 points in the previous two games - both losses - Bishop Guertin coach Wil Horne felt it was the defense that allowed his team to get the win.

"We only had a one-day turnaround, but the focus in (Wednesday’s) practice was defense," the coach said. "We didn’t like the way we competed on Tuesday (in an 82-73 loss to Salem). Hats off to Salem, they played great, but we thought we didn’t bring our defensive toughness. We showed that and we needed to. This is a tough gym to play in."

Merrimack (5-6) got 20 points, including four 3-pointers, from Noah Morrison while Nate Johnson and Ryan Elliott each had 10 points.

The Tomahawks led by seven, 19-12, at the end of the first quarter, but a 10-0 run by the Cardinals midway through the second game them a 25-21 lead. But Merrimack answered with a 10-4 run to take a 31-29 lead at halftime with Johnson giving the Tomahawks the lead on a buzzer-beating jumper to end the half.

"I thought we had a great day of practice (Wednesday)," Merrimack coach Austin Denton said. "I thought we had some great energy. I thought we were going to come in here and just destroy, and I thought we did that for the most part in the first quarter."

Bishop Guertin retook the lead early in the third, but Merrimack responded and had a 42-37 lead in a 3 by Morrison with just under two minutes left in the quarter.

But Alex Dolan answered at the other end with a 3 and the Cardinals scored the final seven points of the third to take a 44-42 lead into the fourth.

After both teams were scoreless for the first two minutes of the fourth, it looked like Merrimack tied the game and had a chance for the lead when Elliott was fouled on a made basket. But the officials ruled the foul was before the shot and gave the Tomahawks possession, and the scoreless drought continued.

"We got wide open looks right around the foul line," Denton said. "I told the kids during a timeout, I said ‘guys you’re getting great looks, just put it in the hoop.’ We even missed layups. I thought throughout the whole game we didn’t make shots."

Merrimack wouldn't get its first points of the quarter until Elliott hit two free throws with 2:06 remaining, but by then, Bishop Guertin had scored 17 unanswered to take a 54-42 lead. Chau's 3-pointer was part of that run and gave the Cardinals a double-digit lead for the first time, just moments after he'd appeared to badly injury his ankle.

"He’s had some ankle trouble for the last couple of years," Horne said of Chau. "He knows how to tape it up quick and get back in the game. He’s a senior captain and he’s an absolute warrior."

With the win, Bishop Guertin moves just outside the top eight in the D1 standings as the season heads to February.

"It’s that time," Horne said. "Everyone is wondering what the magic number is and what that cutline is going to look like for teams getting in. If everybody beats everybody this year, there may be an eight-win team that’s not in the tournament. It’s crazy to think."