IC Catholic turns tables on Bishop McNamara
In the midst of a tough stretch, the IC Catholic Prep boys basketball team needed a confidence boost heading into next week's Class 2A playoffs.
The Knights got just that in a big way Friday night.
A little over a month after losing by 21 to Bishop McNamara, ICCP put four players into double figures to defeat the Fightin' Irish 70-61 on Senior Night in Elmhurst.
Michael Carpanzano, the lone senior in uniform with Ryan Asmussen injured, knocked down four of the squad's 10 3-pointers and finished with 16 points and 8 rebounds.
"It means a lot for us right now going into the playoffs," Carpanzano said. "This brings us a lot of momentum. This win gives us the mentality that we can do it; our last three wins have come against teams that we lost to the first time. Moving on forward, our record is 0-0. It's a new season."
The Knights led by as many as 9 points early before settling for a 30-28 advantage at halftime. But they quickly seized control with a 15-4 run to start the third quarter, spurred on by 8 points from Dominic Gaudio.
"We knew it was Senior Night and we wanted to go out with a bang on our home court," Gaudio said. "Despite the 20-point loss (to them the first game), we were only down 3 at half. We know every day we are making progress and that showed.
"It's really fun when we play as a team. Four players in double figures, that's impressive. It's hard to lose when you do that."
Zach Jordan also made four 3s to finish with 13 points and Ryan Wojtalewicz chipped in with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocked shots.
The visitors got to within 6 in the fourth quarter before ICCP responded with a quick 8-0 spurt, capped off by a 3 from Carpanzano.
"At the beginning of the game," Carpanzano said, "I told everyone to play their hearts out, not just for me but for themselves. This was our last home game, the last regular-season game."
The Knights, who have five sophomores on their roster, will take an overall record of 11-16 into their regional opener against St. Edward next Wednesday. They finished 4-8 in Metro Suburban Conference Blue Division action.
"We lost a tough one to them (Bishop Mac) at their place," ICCP coach T.J. Terrell said, "but we felt good coming into this game. I thought we controlled the tempo. They made some runs, but we were able to sustain the lead.
"We have been taking little steps and it all leads into next week. St. Ed's gave us a tough game earlier in the season. We beat them 54-50 at their place. We will have to be very prepared and focused. But we feel pretty good, especially coming off tonight."