quest for a first region win will have to go to the last day of the season after Friday night's 44-33 home loss to Druid Hills.
The Golden Lions (1-21, 0-10 Region 5A-AAA) matched their opponents for commitment, but were haunted by a consistent menace in a 13th-straight defeat.
"We have a hard time getting shots," said St. Pius coach Jeff Lozano, who applauded his players' effort. "I was very proud of their level and how hard they play."
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The hosts made eight of 20 free throw attempts and endured significant stretches without scoring despite not being defensively outplayed.
Druid Hills enjoyed the early exchanges of a high-tempo encounter, putting up nine-straight points before St. Pius opened its scoring account through a pair of Cleve Kellogg free throws with 3:08 remaining in the first quarter.
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Despite plenty of movement and shooting attempts, scoring remained low in the first half for the Golden Lions.
More than three minutes elapsed from the start of the second quarter before either team found a basket.
A Spencer Davis field goal midway through the quarter pulled St. Pius to 15-7. The Golden Lions then scored three-straight before Druid Hills responded with a 4-0 run en route to finishing the half ahead 21-12.
St. Pius started the third period with a 5-2 as Kellogg hit another field goal to pull the hosts to within 24-17 after two minutes.
Yet the Red Devils controlled the rest of the third quarter, outscoring its opponent 11-1 to finish with a commanding 32-18 lead.
A 15-point fourth quarter was a high for St. Pius, which was led in scoring by Cleve Kellogg's nine points.
When the teams played earlier in the season, Druid Hills won by a larger margin, 56-31.
"We lost by 30 last time and by 11 this time," Lozano said. "That's improvement."