SAN JOSE - Midway through the third quarter at Wayne Valley Memorial Gym, Sacred Heart Cathedral was reeling in Bellarmine’s early lead, as Irish guard Bryce Monroe’s three pointer brought his team within seven points. In the subsequent possessions, Bellarmine big man Kendall Stubblefield answered Monroe’s shot with two three-pointers and a layup of his own, solidifying a 15-point lead for the Bells going into the fourth quarter. Sacred Heart Cathedral would never recover, as Bellarmine put up a 30-point fourth quarter on the way to an 86-55 win at home.
Bellarmine shot the lights out in the second half behind Stubblefield’s 15 points, scoring 50 of their team’s 86 points after halftime.
“I certainly liked the second half much better than the first,” said Bellarmine head coach Patrick Schneider. “I was just impressed by how much we shared the ball to score 50 points in a half. You get that by playing aggressive to the basket and giving the ball up when help comes.”
Schneider had his team getting to the rim and finding shooters in the corners, as the Bells made 15 three-pointers in the game, accounting for over half their points.
This run-and-gun style was used on both sides, as Sacred Heart Cathedral added eight threes of their own, accounting for just under half of their points. The onslaught of threes and a combined 21 turnovers was in large part due to the up-tempo offenses both sides like to run.
“Both teams like that pace. Ultimately, a fast-paced game with a high number of percentages goes to a team that has a little bit more depth,” said Schneider. “Sacred Heart has some great players, we just had a few more players. I think the pace of the game ultimately helped us wear them down.”
Some beneficiaries of the speed of the game were Bellarmine senior guards Jake Wojcik and Nathan Metzger, who thrive in transition and from deep. Each added 16 points coming off a combined six three-pointers.
“We just came out and did what we were supposed to do,” said Wojcik. “We wanted to lock down on defense and get out and run in transition, and that’s what we did to get the win.”
The stellar guard play of the Bells was more than matched by the Irish. Monroe, only a sophomore, finished with 19 points to lead his team. Junior guard Emmett Neal Jr. also shot well, adding 14 points on four three-pointers.
The Bells continued to pile on points through the fourth quarter and pulled their starters with three and a half minutes to go.
“That’s what we try to do as starters, we try to get enough lead for these guys on the bench that don’t get to play a lot to get into the game and get them some looks,” Wojcik added.
Among the guys to get in from the end of the bench was junior guard Jackson Williams. Williams used his minutes well, scoring nine points with perfect 3-for-3 shooting behind the arc.
“It’s so fun to see some of the guys who don’t play a whole lot have some great minutes at the end of the game,” said Schneider. “Jackson Williams scored nine points on three three-pointers, and just seeing how happy his teammates were for him, that’s a special thing.”
Bellarmine will hope to ride two league wins in a row into a big cross-town matchup with Archbishop Mitty on Tuesday.
Sacred Heart Cathedral will hope to bounce back in their own cross-town rivalry game vs St. Ignatius on Tuesday.
