8th Grade D1 Boys PreSeason Tournaments

St. Monica’s Division I 8th grade boys team prepared for the Dallas Parochial League regular season by participating in two pre-season tournaments. The Bearcats went 2-2 in the Christ the King’s  tournament on Dec. 6-9 and finished second in the St. Rita tournament that ended on Sunday, Dec. 16.

St. Monica faced rival St. Patrick in the championship game of the St. Rita tournament. The Bearcats rallied from an early fourth-quarter deficit to take a 29-28 lead with just over two minutes remaining.  However, St. Patrick’s ability to secure offensive rebounds on missed free throws allowed St. Patrick to re-take the lead and then hold off St. Monica’s last charge. The Bearcats had three attempts at potential game-tying 3-pointers but couldn’t get the shots to go down. The final score was 33-30.

Aaron Ochoa finished with a team-high 13 points while Nick Ackels scored all five of his points in the fourth quarter to fuel St. Monica’s rally. Ochoa was awarded a trophy as one of the tournament’s most outstanding players.

The Bearcats opened the St. Rita tournament with a 51-23 victory over Bishop Dunne. St. Monica’s press created havoc and Bishop Dunne was never able to get into an offensive rhythm. The tournament opener was a true definition of team basketball; all 10 Bearcats contributed significantly to the victory.

In the winner’s bracket semifinals, St. Monica rolled to a 53-37 victory over the host team. The Bearcats held a 24-17 halftime lead but the game turned into a blowout thanks to St. Monica’s third-quarter blitz. The Bearcats made 9 of 12 shots and had assists on 7 of the 9 field goals. The 19-7 quarter gave St. Monica a 43-24 lead that was far too much for St. Rita to overcome.

Christian Duaine led the scoring with 14 points. Danny Roque had 9, Matt White and Peter Dykes each had 7. Aaron Ochoa and Ben Nichols each had 4 points while their contributions on defense and on the boards was a significant factor in the victory.

If the seven pre-season games are any indication, the Bearcats have a versatile roster that allows coach Darrell Noga to give opponents a number of different offensive and defensive looks. St. Monica’s defense has been impressive. The Bearcats have been effective using both man-to-man and zone. Plus, their full-court and half-court presses have shown the ability to create steals and befuddle the opposition. For the most part, scoring has not been the challenge that it was for this team last season at the seventh grade level.
Injuries were the biggest negative in the pre-season tournaments.

Hank Tobolka suffered an injury to his left wrist in the St. Rita tournament. Brooks Barnhouse suffered a stinger to his left shoulder in a collision during the CKS tournament. Hopefully, both will be back at full strength when DPL play starts on Jan. 12.