by Brian Turrel
After nearly hanging a hundred points on the Maranatha Eagles in their last match-up, the Bishop Ward Cyclones got a much more spirited contest when they traveled to Maranatha on Friday, winning 61-43.
The Cyclones raced out to a 22-7 first-quarter lead, with pressure defense and good inside shooting from Jeremyah Greer and Immanuel Campbell.
The Eagles made a second-quarter comeback, holding the visitors to just seven points in the quarter. Maranatha had consecutive baskets late in the half to get the lead down to single digits, but a Ward timeout set up a three-pointer from Dustin Rector to keep the Eagles at arm’s length.
The Eagles kept the pressure on in the third quarter. Colton Williams hit two three-pointers and brought the lead down to six late in the quarter. As the clock ran out, Campbell hit a twisting put-back to send the game to the final frame with a 43-35 score.
The Eagles’ late outside attempts refused to fall, and six Cyclones scored a combined 16 points to pull away in the fourth quarter to the 61-43 final tally.
Campbell led the Cyclones with 18 points in the game, and Greer totaled 15. Rector scored 8 points, including two key three-pointers to hold off the Eagles’ challenge in the second and third quarters.
The win improves the Cyclones’ already-impressive season record to 13-2. The team’s next contest is at home against Lawrence’s Bishop Seabury Academy on Tuesday, starting at 7 p.m.
