On Thursday night, the Serra Padres defeated the Bellarmine Bells by a score of 71-50. The final score was a bit misleading as Serra (12-2, 3-1 WCAL) had to work hard for the win against the Bells (11-3, 1-3 WCAL).
The Bells scratched Serra's lead to 39-38 on a 3-pointer from Dylan Tarpening with 3:50 to play in the third quarter. It was a close game until the end of the third quarter, when Serra guard Jacqui Biggins sparked the Padres with back-to-back threes including one at the quarter-ending buzzer.
Biggins had three treys on the night finishing with a game-high 18 points.
“My teammates got me open shots and it was my job to knock them down,” Biggins said.
Teammate Sean Watkins looked at Biggins' shots at the end of the third quarter as a turning point.
"His back-to-back threes got our team going," Watkins said, "and it really energized us.”
It was a very physical game between the Padres and Bells, with the teams committing 17 and 19 fouls, respectively. Serra’s defense gave Bellarmine fits all night, limiting the Bells to only 50 points.
“We started extending pressure and scrambling around on defense," Serra coach Chuck Rapp said. "We trapped a little bit and that rolled into our offense.”
Watkins got into foul trouble early in the fourth quarter and had to sit for the rest of the game. After the game, when asked if he would do anything differently Watkins responded, “I played a physical game. That's my style and I'm not going to change it.”
Henry Caruso provided the final blow to any remaining comeback hopes for the Bells midway through the fourth quarter when he stole the ball and drove it to the basket for a rim-hanging slam-dunk, electrifying the crowd.
This Saturday, Bellarmine will host Archbishop Riordan. The Serra Padres will travel to San Jose to square off against rival Archbishop Mitty in what will be a battle for first place in the WCAL.
“Mitty has a great team with a great player," Rapp said. "It's a great challenge and we are looking forward to it."
The matchup will feature two of the best players in the WCAL, Aaron Gordon and Caruso.
“They are a great team and he (Gordon) is a great player," Caruso said.
