St. Monica Academy girls’ basketball stifled by Big Bear
In the most stress-free fashion possible, the St. Monica Academy girls’ basketball team arrived in the CIF Southern Section Division 5-AAA second round on Saturday night.
Via a first-round bye, the Crusaders moved past the first round, but awaiting opponent and host Big Bear, the No. 4 seed, had done just the same and St. Monica coach Owen Keenan was well-aware that a trip to the quarterfinals wouldn’t come anywhere as easy.
Keenan knew his Crusaders had an arduous opponent in front of them and Big Bear proved that and then some with a resounding 56-16 win over St. Monica on Saturday evening in the second round.
“Best team we’ve played all year,” Keenan said. “[We] played hard. [I am] very proud of my team.”
St. Monica (18-5), the International League champion, had won seven in a row before its season concluded with its most lopsided loss of the season and a season-low in points. However, Keenan’s crew will return almost in full with just two players graduating.
Big Bear (20-5), the Cross Valley League champion, led 38-8 at halftime and then 44-16 after three before shutting out St. Monica in the fourth.
Twitter: @TCNGrantGordon
