Bellarmine Prep coach Bernie Salazar knows the second-ranked Lions’ 51-49 Narrows League 4A win over Olympia on Friday wasn’t a picture of basketball perfection.
The Lions were playing without starting forward Lucas Meikle, a 6-foot-8 junior, and the other inside presence – 6-4 forward Sefo Liufau – missed most of the first half because of foul trouble.
And Salazar says Bellarmine Prep is still coming together after getting a late start because of the football team’s deep playoff run.
Add it all up, and the Lions, at times, were scrambling against the Bears.
“It’s December,” Salazar said. “Sometimes December is not pretty basketball.”
Bellarmine Prep led throughout the final six minutes, but Olympia lingered, never trailing by more than three points. The Bears had a chance to send the game into overtime or perhaps win when David Carlson rebounded a missed free throw with seven seconds left and Olympia down by two points.
Carlson raced downcourt but lost control of the ball near the 3-point arc, and Lions guard David Smith grabbed it to secure the win and keep Bellarmine Prep undefeated.
Smith led the Lions (5-0 overall, 3-0 league) with 16 points, and Liufau finished with 10.
Meikle missed school with a fever on Friday and was too sick to play, Salazar said. Meikle’s absence didn’t affect the game plan, but it did alter its effectiveness. And when Liufau picked up a third foul five minutes into the game, the Lions faced a setback.
“We still did what we do; (Meikle’s) a big part of our team offensively and defensively,” Salazar said. “We faced some adversity with Lucas not being here – he’s a pretty important part; and then with Sefo – three fouls in the first quarter – our team responded well to the adversity.”
Reserve guard Mar’kese Jackson gave Bellarmine Prep a boost, contributing a few key plays late in the game. The sophomore scored six points.
While Bellarmine Prep was struggling to find an inside presence, Olympia faced a different challenge – inexperienced players getting used to playing a close game in a raucous gym.
“Guys are kind of discovering their roles,” Olympia coach Luke Salme said. “I know the talent’s there; there’s just so little varsity experience.”
Senior guard Dominick Francks, who led the Bears (5-2, 2-1) with 13 points, is the only returning starter from a team that won the Narrows title and placed fourth at the state tournament last season.
Bellarmine Prep faces another challenge Tuesday when it travels to Lakewood to take on Lakes, Class 3A’s top-ranked team and defending state champion.
“We’re just going to have to really fight and play very well, and play smart, disciplined defense,” Salazar said. “We’re not really flashy, but we’re efficient defensively.”
Doug Pacey: 253-597-8271 doug.pacey@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/preps Twitter: @DougPaceyTNT
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