Chaminade Holds Off Nazareth 62-50

It’s stunning to see what a capable defense can do on the hardwood. Usually you can get a few good runs in, 8-2, 9-3, maybe even double digits if you’re lucky.

But 17-2? Across 8 minutes? And when that one side only scores its two points from the foul line? And no field goals from that same side the entire game?

You’d probably have the person who spun you that yarn committed to the asylum.

Yet there it was on the Kellenberg gym’s scoreboard, those two filled-in circles in the third quarter column right next to Nazareth’s Samson Usilo’s line in the book.

There in the middle of it was Chaminade senior Thomas Ahern, nailing down six from fieldgoal range to go with the nine he had scored the night before against St. Dominic’s, securing MVP honors for the Tom Crotty Tournament.

And right there in the paint was Jon Patterson with seven from inside on his way to 20, all six feet six inches of him.

“He’s a big physical presence, he knows what he’s good at around the rim and that’s where he’s effective and he doesn’t try to do what he can’t do,” Chaminade coach Bob Paul said. “That’s why he’s so good. He’s effective in that area, he wants the ball and he’s demanding and when he gets it, he’s effective as can be.”

No yarn-spinning.