Cardinals Edged in WCAC first round, 52-46

Freshman Darius Hines (4) led the Cardinals with 16 points in the season finale at SMR.

Freshman Darius Hines had a season-high 16 points for the Cardinals, but the 7th-seeded St Mary’s Ryken Knights rallied in the game’s final period to outlast Bishop Ireton 52-46. The setback ended the 2014-15 campaign for a young Cardinal squad that graduates but one senior.

The Alexandrians held a 12-8 advantage after a period of play in Leonardtown and extended the margin to 26-19, outplaying the higher-seeded Knights throughout the first half. After Ryken broke out to an 8-2 early advantage, the gritty Cardinals responded with a 12-0 run with junior Nick Schmelzer tying the game on a three-pointer and Ireton grabbing a 14-8 lead early in the second stanza. The visitors would continue the torrid pace with a 20-4 pummeling of the home team to close the first half.

Ryken opened the second half with a run of their own, going on an 11-2 sprint to regain the lead at 30-28. The Cardinals countered with hoops by Jamie Pasha, Jeremy Guillaud, and a three by Schmelzer, and a bucket by Chase Hill pushing Ireton back to a 37-30 margin.

With Ireton nursing a 39-33 lead as the 4th quarter opened, a desparate St Mary’s Ryken mounted their final counterattack. Following a Hines basket that gave the Cards a 41-33 margin, Ryken closed the contest with a 19-point 4th period where they finally caught the Cardinals at 43-43 on a three by Juwan Smith. Guillaud drained a three to pull Ireton to within 48-46, but the Cardinals would get no closer.

In addition to Hines with 16, Nick Schmelzer notched two three-pointers and scored nine points total. Also chipping in for the Cardinals were Chase Hill (6 points), Jeremy Guillaud (5 points), Quintin Gilcrest (4 points), Jamie Pasha (4 points) and Michael Everett (2 points). The Cardinals finished the game with 28 rebounds (10 offensive/18 defensive). Ryken’s Smith led all scorers in the game with 17 for the Knights who advance to the WCAC quarterfinals.

The Cardinals end the campaign at 6-23, 1-17 in the WCAC.