It was a special Sunday at Bishop Grimes, with new inductees into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame honored and Senior Night festivities for both the girls and boys basketball teams.
Yet Bishop Ludden managed to enjoy the occasion even more, because it won both sides of the hoops doubleheader between the two private-school rivals.
The girls game had the state Class A no. 24-ranked Gaelic Knights fend off the Cobras 74-62, while the boys game had far fewer points, but the same double-digit for margin for Ludden as it won, 56-45, and halted Grimes’ seven-game win streak.
It started with the girls edition and Grimes on the court – something it had not experienced much in the previous month, having only played two games in January due to numerous weather postponements and the cancellation of a tournament the weekend before.
Yet the Cobras didn’t show that much rust, even after Ludden bolted out to a 14-6 lead. Led by Abby Wilkinson, who scored her team’s last 10 points of the half, Grimes forged a 27-27 tie.
Even when the Gaelic Knights went back in front 33-29 by halftime, the Cobras pushed back and tied it again, 39-39, but Grimes was never able to take the lead.
It turned for good in Ludden’s favor thanks to Karleigh Leo, who hit a pair of crucial 3-pointers, including one at the end of the third quarter that ignited a 14-6 run. Grimes never got closer than eight points again.
Aurora Deshaies still led the Gaelic Knights with 22 points, with Leo’s 17 points featuring five 3-pointers. Amarah Streiff earned most of her 12 points in the second half and Katie Costello contributed 11 points.
Wilkinson, in defeat, led all scorers with 26 points, with fellow senior Sarah Snavlin earning 11 points as Lora Marial gained 16 points.
Once all the Hall of Fame and Senior Night festivities concluded, it was time for the boys game. Grimes indeed carried a seven-game win streak into the contest, but it had not played in 12 days.
And unlike with the girls team, that layoff hurt these Cobras, who never led the game after the opening 90 seconds and never fully got over a cold shooting streak.
Ludden went out in front with Nic Button and Monte Johnson each scoring eight points in the first quarter, and the Gaelic Knights used its defense to overcome its own mid-game struggles, continuing to expand its lead.
At one point early in the fourth quarter, Ludden led 43-25, but Grimes finally sprung to life with a 12-2 run to cut the margin to single digits with more than three minutes to play.
Ultimately, the Gaelic Knights regrouped and closed the game out, Button working his total to 19 points as Johnson finished with 15 points and Champ Reid gained 14 points.
T.J. Bradford, mired in foul trouble all night, earned most of his 11 points in the fourth quarter as Gop Arop earned 12 points, with David Mo adding eight points and Jack Gutchess contributing seven points.
