After beating Pattonville to open the Pattonville Tournament on Nov. 29, the Lancers watched from the stands as Chaminade senior Bradley Beal dominated in a win over Rockwood Summit. One dunk by Beal, who has committed to play at the University of Florida next season, brought the team to its feet in awe.
But it was the Lancers who fell victim to Beal’s play on Dec. 1, when they allowed him 24 points in a 70-48 loss to the Red Devils.
“We did okay in the second half. They’re a good team, probably the best we’ll face. But overall we did pretty good,” senior Will Montgomery said.
The Lancers were able to contain Beal early on, forcing him to miss seven of his first nine shots. But his teammates were often left open and made eight three-pointers on the way to a 40-20 halftime lead. Junior Joel Pennington kept the Lancers close with 11 points in the first half.
Once Beal settled in, the Red Devils broke the game open and led by as many as 32 points in the second half. The Lancers were able to shrink the deficit with Pennington’s team-high 19 points and 13 points by senior Aareon Smith.
“It’s hard to simulate what Chaminade does. We may play them later on so this was a good test and learning experience for down the road,” Head Coach Scott Allen said.
The loss puts Lafayette in the tournament’s third-place game against McCluer, which is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. on Dec. 3 at Pattonville High School.
