Bishop Diego roared back from a six-point deficit midway through the third quarter with a 17-2 run and went on to defeat Carpinteria, 63-53, in the third-place game of the Jim Bashore Holiday Cage Classic at Carpinteria on Monday.
The Cardinals’ victory avenged a 59-57 overtime loss to the Warriors in an earlier meeting.
Kai Morphy scored 20 points, Marcus Chan had 18 points, and freshmen Bryan Trejo and Luis Fernandez had 10 and 7 points, respectively, for Bishop Diego (8-6).
“I am very pleased with our effort defensively in the second half,” Bishop coach James Coronado said. “We took it upon ourselves to play solid man-to-man defense. We made them take tough shots in the second half, and the percentages worked in our favor.
“On the flip side, we shared the ball on offense and got easier shots for each other and that proved the difference. Can’t say enough how well Bryan Trejo and Marcus Chan routinely got us good looks, either for themselves or others and, expectedly, our shooting percentage went up.”
Dylan O’Neill finished a strong tournament performance with 27 points to lead Carpinteria (5-6), while Matt Garcia and Gabe Medel each scored eight points.
O’Neill gave Carpinteria a 38-32 in the third quarter before Bishop Diego took charge. The Cardinals received a boost from Connor Streett on the boards.
Atascadero hit a three-pointer at the buzzer and defeated Santa Maria, 98-97, in overtime in the championship game.