Bishop Diego had a five-point lead in the fourth quarter get away, and host Malibu rode a swell of momentum to beat the Cardinals 46-41 in a boys basketball showdown for first place in the Frontier League on Friday night.
The Sharks (15-7) improve to 7-0 in league while Bishop (10-12) falls to 5-2.
A three-point play by 6-foot-6 Justin Holmes sparked Malibu’s comeback in the fourth quarter.
Bishop coach Dean Prophet said the Sharks got lots of contributions.
“They had five different guys score in the fourth quarter,” Prophet said. “Every time we tried to shut someone down another guy would score for them.”
Malibu got good scoring balance with Harrison Kaplan leading the way with 10 points and Anthony Kodemichalos, Will Rostenthal and Holmes adding 9 points apiece.
“They’re a tough team for us to guard. They’ve got some size,” Prophet said.
Elias Munoz scored 14 points to lead Bishop Diego.
“We didn’t really get into an offensive rhythm at all,” said Prophet.
“It was a tough game,” he added. “Hopefully, the boys bounce back and think there’s a season after the season. A game like this will help us get ready for the playoffs. The boys know what to expect when it’s one and done.”
The Cardinals return to action on Wednesday against Santa Paula.
“We need to finish strong in the next three games and get momentum going into playoffs,” said Prophet.
BISHOP DIEGO— Tisdale 7, Gonzalez 4, Munoz 14, Schneider 4, Lash 5, Moulton 7.
MALIBU — Sandler 5, Platner 4, Anthony Kodemichalos 9, Will Rosenthal 9, Justin Holmes 9, Harrison Kaplan 10.
Bishop Diego…3 15 12 11 — 41
Malibu…9 8 12 17 — 46
3-point goals—BD: Munoz, Lash, Moulton. M: Sandler, Planter, Kodemichalos 3, Rosenthal.
