NASHUA, N.H. – Despite the complexity and nuance of basketball, sometimes it’s just as simple as one team making the key shots and the other team missing those same shots. That was the case at Bishop Guertin on Wednesday night as the Cardinals eliminated the Little Green of Manchester Central from the NHIAA Division I Boys’ Basketball Tournament, 84-63.
It was a score that could not reflect the relative equality in athleticism and other intangibles between both teams that won’t show up on a score sheet. Time after time, Central would drive to the hoop or launch a three and miss to only see Bishop Guertin connect on echoes of those shots moments later.
Bishop Guertin never trailed, but Central kept things close early on, with just an 18-10 deficit at the end of the first quarter. That deficit climbed to 16 by the half and the Cardinals held their advantage near 20 points for the rest of the contest.
Central shot 22-for-52 (42.3%) compared to Bishop Guertin’s 32-for-52 (61.5%), a figure that does not take into account that Bishop Guertin had 11 three-pointers compared to Central’s four.
“We did not shoot well, we did not rebound well,” said Manchester Central Head Coach Sudi Lett.
Another key to Bishop Guertin’s success was the game of junior Matt Santosuosso, who plays quarterback for Bishop Guertin’s football team in the fall.
Santosuosso had 11 points in the first quarter alone and 20 by halftime, finishing the contest with 29 points, four rebounds, two steals and two assists.
Bishop Guertin Head Coach John Fisher said that one of the hardest things for Santosuosso and the team as a whole is knowing when to pass and when to shoot, a conundrum that his squad dealt with well on Wednesday.
“As the basketball season has gone on, he’s just gotten better and better in his basketball game, said Fisher. “The guys are more than willing to get (Santosuosso) that ball, but he works for it. Matt works to get open. And when you’re used to running 200 yards on a football field every week, you come in with a decent athletic threshold.”
Juniors Tyler Mackey (12 points) and Luke Anderson (19 points) joined Santosuosso in double digits for the Cardinals.
Juniors William Gearles and Kuel Akot led the way for Central with 19 points each.
Bishop Guertin will now head to Goffstown for the next round with a 7 p.m. tip on Saturday.