Boys’ Basketball Falls Short vs. St. Mary's Preparatory at Home, 70-62

The Central Catholic boys' basketball team dropped a 70-62 decision against St. Mary's Preparatory on Tuesday in the Sullivan Center.  With the loss, the Fighting Irish fall to 6-2 overall, 2-1 in the Catholic High School League.

CCHS led 13-12 after the opening period vs. the 2023-24 MHSAA state champions at home, but the Scarlet & Gray was outscored 38-26 over the next 2 periods and suffered its 2nd loss this season.

Junior Manny Johnson led the Fighting Irish with a season-high 21 points.  A 6-foot-3 guard, Johnson surpassed his previous-best effort of 18 points on 2 occasions.  He has now scored in double figures 6 times this year.

Sophomore Isaiah Mack-Russell also contributed 20 points in the CHSL showdown, while junior Draden Wardrop tallied 18 points.  Wardrop did most of his damage from beyond the arc, knocking down 4 triples.

Trey McKenney paced OLSM with a game-high 26 points, followed by Isaiah Hines with 20 points.  Mateen Cleaves, Jr. added 11 points in the road victory.  A 6-foot-4 shooting guard, McKenney is currently ranked No. 16 in the ESPN 100 for the 2025 class.

This trio did the bulk of their scoring at the free throw line, tallying a combined 21 points at the stripe.  They helped the Eaglets post a decisive 29-13 advantage at the line.

Earlier in the evening, the CCHS freshman team claimed a 52-28 victory vs. OLSM, while the junior varsity squad secured a 46-41 triumph.

Central Catholic will return to the hardwood against Perrysburg on Thursday, January 9, starting with the junior varsity game at 4:30 p.m. in the PHS Gym.  Tickets for Thursday’s non-league contest can be purchased at bit.ly/3Ge6GWP.