Slow First Quarter Dooms Eagles In Opening Round Loss At State

In a rematch of this past fall's state football championship game, Bishop Neumann exacted revenge on O'Neill in the first round of the state basketball tournament. A slow first quarter doomed the Eagles in a 60-44 loss to the Cavaliers.

O'Neill struggled out of the gate, failing to score a field goal for the first four minutes of the game. By that point, the Cavaliers already held a 10-point advantage. The Eagles spent the remainder of the first half working to dig themselves out of that hole. They finished the half on a 6-3 run to enter the break down 36-24.

​The third quarter started slow for the Eagles, scoring just two points in the first four minutes. However, their defense kept them within reach and a Justin Appleby buzzer beater allowed them to enter the fourth trailing 49-36.

In the fourth, the two teams continued to trade blows. Tyler Regan, who was very aggressive all game in the post for the Eagles, fouled out with less than two minutes to go. That took away a very strong presence for O'Neill and the Cavaliers held on for the win.

Full stats will be added as they become available.

The loss ends the Eagles season at 23-3.