Chaminade Holds Off St. Marys

Keyed by Mamadou Diakhate's (right) 25 points and eight rebounds, St. Mary's High School(Manhasset, New York) held off Long Island rival Chaminade, 77-58, in a Catholic League match-up in Mineola, New York, on Friday night.

The Gaels opened up a 42-25 halftime lead with their swarming defensive presence and aggressive post defense. Nearly all of Chaminade's shots were contested, as the Flyers struggled with St. Mary's defensive quickness and depth.

St. Mary's lead would balloon to 56-33 with 1:32 left to play in the third quarter on two Diakhate free throws before Chaminade chipped away at the deficit. 6'6'' senior Danny Nawrocki, committed to play at Johns Hopkins for the fall, was bullish on the glass. A Nawrocki putback at the 6:00 minute in the fourth quarter drew the Flyers to within 62-46.

Ultimately, however, St. Mary's was able to answer any run Chaminade made with one of their own. Diakhate's boardwork and some pivotal buckets by junior John Ager helped close out Chaminade, 77-58.

Along with Diakhate's 25, Ager pitched in with 14 points, including two clutch three-pointers. 6'4'' senior point guard Tim Wall added 10 points, doing a solid job of directing and distributing.

Nawrocki paced Chaminade with 17 points.