A warning to upcoming St. Patrick opponents: This is not your typical Shamrocks squad, known primarily for its feisty guards and deft shooting.
Sure, St. Patrick still has strong guard play. But this season the Shamrocks have an inside game to boot. Just ask St. Joseph, which got pounded by the Shamrocks’ big men in a 60-49 East Suburban Catholic defeat Friday night at St. Patrick.
The junior trio of 6-foot-7-inch Dan Bolger, 6-7 Mike Haiduc and 6-5 Kevin Kloak were the difference-makers in helping St. Patrick stay unbeaten in conference play at 4-0 and 9-2 overall.
“Was their size the difference?” St. Joseph coach Gene Pingatore rhetorically asked. “They killed us inside.”
Haiduc came off the bench to spur an 11-0 run by scoring eight points on an array of inside baskets, turning an 18-18 tie into a 29-18 advantage in the second quarter. Haiduc scored 12 of his team-high 14 points in that period, and St. Joseph (7-6, 3-2) never fully recovered.
And when Haiduc wasn’t exposing St. Joseph’s weakness inside, Bolger and Kloak kept it going. Though Bolger scored only six points, he had a game-high 12 rebounds and completely controlled the middle. Kloak chipped in with eight points and seven rebounds and played a key role in holding the Chargers to only three third-quarter points as the Shamrocks went into the fourth leading 44-33.
“This is probably the most depth we’ve had [inside] since the mid-’90s,” St. Patrick coach Mike Bailey said. “Bolger, Haiduc and Kloak are a three-headed monster. But they’re not just post players–they’re basketball players.”
The guards did play a vital role, particularly in the fourth quarter. St. Joseph had cut the lead to 44-39 early in the period as the Shamrocks struggled to find a shot. They didn’t get their first one until 5 minutes 53 seconds remained and didn’t score until the 4:46 mark, when Matt Marino buried a three.
Marino’s basket was one of only four shots taken by the Shamrocks in the quarter, but it didn’t matter because Matt Saviano scored all seven of his points in the final period, including a three-point play when the Chargers cut it to six again with 3:14 left. David Kleinschmidt (12 points) converted 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch.
“We’re really a well-balanced team,” Bolger said. “We have a really good outside game, then we have the full package with the inside game. Last year we were all three-point shooters.”
Tony Freeman led St. Joseph with 17 points.
