Elias Muñoz scored 10 points in the first quarter and Bishop Diego was up 29-28 at the half, but the Cardinals’ boys basketball team couldn’t keep up with host Nordhoff down the stretch and fell 56-43 on Wednesday.
“In the second half we missed a couple of assignments in our man-to-man. Their intensity picked up and we didn’t rise to the occasion in the third quarter,” said coach Ray “Slash” Vazquez.
Muñoz finished with a team-high 14 points and Paul Garcia added 10.
Bishop hit a free throw early in the fourth that cut the lead to four points. The Cardinals then went into a box-and-one defense to focus on Rangers star Logan Crowe, but Mike Espinosa stepped up and nailed consecutive 3-pointers as Nordhoff pulled away.
The Cardinals are 12-8 overall and 3-3 in the Frontier League.
NORDHOFF 56, BISHOP DIEGO 43
BISHOP DIEGO — Slaught 3, Holland 4, Garcia 10, Munoz 14, Tack 8, Ramirez 2. Totals 16 8-11 43.
NORDHOFF — Bettles 7, Espinosa 16, Logsdon 2, Sweezey 2, Crowe 16, Roberts 4, Dillon 9. Totals 22 6-12 56.
Bishop Diego…18 11 9 5 — 43
Nordhoff…16 12 15 14 — 56
3-point goals — BD 3 (Slaught 1, Munoz 2), N 7 (Espinosa 2, Crowe 2, Dillon 3). Total fouls — BD 15, N 11.
