Crean Lutheran buried eight three-pointers in the first half and ran away from Bishop Diego, 67-42, on Friday at the Santa Barbara High Holiday Shootout.
The shorthanded Cardinals battled back in the second half and got a close as 52-38.
Crean Lutheran of Irvine is a Division 2A team in the CIF-Southern Section while Bishop Diego is in Division 5AA.
“I felt our guys battled back and we made a run in the fourth quarter, but we had too many mental mistakes that costed us dearly,” said Bishop coach James Coronado. “Being shorthanded for the second game in a row versus such tough competition was a lot to ask for, but I was proud of the way we competed.
“We are really close to putting it all together if we stick together and believe in each other. I’m sure we will.”
Marcus Chan scored 11 points for the Cardinals and Bryan Trejo added eight and played well defensively against Crean Lutheran’s point guard Drew Yezbak, said Coronado.
— Noozhawk Sports Editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.