Despite a solid effort in the second half, Bishop Diego’s boys basketball team was unable to claw its way back to the top of the scoreboard against Fillmore, falling 65-52 at home on Wednesday.
The Cardinals struggled defensively in the first quarter, falling behind by seven points thanks to a full-court press on the Flashes.
Head Coach Ray Vazquez said the Cardinals weren’t able to play effectively in the first minutes of the game, which has troubled the 5-13, 0-3 team throughout the season so far.
“It seems like we don’t start playing until the second half,” he said. “I think we need to collectively play better defense early and keep on harping on the simple things, like taking care of the ball.”
Fillmore (9-8, 3-0) drained four field goals in less than two minutes during the second quarter, leaving the Cardinals down 11 at halftime.
The Cardinals were able to rally back in the second half thanks to sophomore Andy Nevarez and freshman Sam Kwock sinking several 3-pointers late in the game.
“Andy Nevarez played his best game of the year,” Vazquez said. “He rebounded, he played smart and he played with passion.”
Bishop was able to cut the lead to only eight points in the fourth quarter, but the increased aggression and determination was not enough.
The Flashes were on-target at the free throw line, making 19-of-24 shots while the Cardinals were 0 for 2. Senior Noah Aguirre racked up 29 points throughout the game.
“We knew [Aguirre] was the bus driver of the team,” Vazquez said. “We knew he was the best player.”
Despite the difficult loss, Vazquez said he is maintaining a confident outlook on the rest of the season.
“I’m always the optimist,” Vazquez said. “I think we’ll still make the playoffs.”
Next up for the Cardinals is an away game at Villanova Friday evening, where Kwock said he is looking to play more aggressively in the first minutes of the game.
“Next game we need to come out harder in the first half and outscore them,” Kwock said. “I know we do really well in the second half. We need to play with more intensity and just force them into making turnovers.”
BISHOP DIEGO 52, FILLMORE 65
FILLMORE — Zellmer 7, Cone 7, Hayes 7, Nelson 2, Aguirre 29, Watson 10, De La Paz 15. Totals 23, 19-24, 65.
BISHOP DIEGO — Nevarez 14, Slaught 2, Garcia 8, Kwock 9, A. Gonzalez 2, MacGillivray 2, B. Gonzalez 2, Munoz 13. Totals 14, 0-2, 52.
Fillmore………. 19 16 13 17 — 65
Bishop Diego…. 12 12 10 18 — 52
3-Point Goals — F 0, BD 8 (Nevarez 4, Kwock 3, Munoz 1)
Total Fouls — F 14, BD 22
Team Records — F 9-8, BD 5-13
