McMahon Boys Basketball Comes Up Short In Upset Bid Against St. Joseph

The Brien McMahon boys basketball team fell just short of upsetting sixth-ranked St. Joseph, falling 58-52 Thursday night in Norwalk despite a last-minute push in the fourth quarter.

Early on, things looked promising for the Senators (8-4, 10-4), who began the game with an  11-0 run and held the potent Cadets to a single field goal in the first quarter. McMahon led 16-2 after the opening period.

The second quarter began to shift in favor of St. Joseph, as McMahon got itself in foul trouble. While the Cadets (9-1, 11-1)  struggled at the foul line in the first quarter, they were 12-of-12 in the second, which bolstered a 21-5 burst.

Going into halftime after blowing a 14-point lead,  the Senators looked to their persistent defense to stay in the game, and they weren't disappointed.

In the third quarter alone, McMahon forced six of the Cadets' 14 total turnovers, which allowed the Senators to trail by only two points entering the final quarter.

Trailing by two with just over a minute left to play, McMahon’s Tyler Shuler had little choice but to foul opposing point guard James Jennings to stop the clock.

However,  the intentional foul was Shuler’s fifth, sending him to the bench along with Tikari Smalls, who had also fouled out. That left McMahon coach Mo Tomlin without two of his top three scorers in the waning moments of an intense matchup.

“It’s just difficult because all of my players have individual skills and play different roles,” Tomlin said, “but without the two of them down the stretch, it takes a toll offensively.”

St. Joseph struggled to convert at the free-throw line in the last minute, shooting just 1-of-8, which allowed the Senator’s T.J. McCrae, who scored a team-high 18 points, a few final opportunities.

But the Cadets' defense proved too solid for McCrae alone. St. Joseph’s Timajh Parker added an emphatic last block to his total of six when he rejected McCrae’s game-tying 3-pointer.

“McMahon showed just how tough of team they were tonight, and we showed how strong of a team we were by coming out on top,” said Parker, who recorded a game-high 28 points and 11 rebounds.

In addition to McCrae, Shuler also made solid contributions in the tough loss, with 15 points and six steals. Smalls scored only two points, but had four assists, 10 rebounds and a pair of steals.

The Senators hope to bounce back when they take on Danbury at home next Tuesday. St. Joseph looks forward to another  away challenge against West Division-leading Westhill on Friday.