The Marian Catholic Spartans’ strong run ended with a 58-44 loss against the Nazareth Roadrunners, as Nazareth marked its 125th anniversary with a commanding performance.
Nazareth entered the game with a 23-2 overall record and a 7-1 conference standing, riding a 15-game win streak after defeating Joliet Catholic. Marian Catholic, holding a 22-6 record and 6-3 in the conference, had been on a two-game win streak following a challenging loss to Montini. Their latest victory was against Saint Viator.
According to the game report, Marian took an early lead of 14-12 at the end of the first quarter, led by senior guard Taylor Bolton with five points and senior point guard Allia Von Schlegell adding six. However, Nazareth regained control by halftime with a 27-19 lead, thanks to junior guard Stella Sakalas’ standout performance contributing 11 points.
Nazareth coach Edward Stritzel acknowledged the competitive nature of the game: “We knew Marian was going to battle us, but our goal is to play our best basketball in March. We have a lot of different pieces that can score, and we stuck to what we do best.”
Despite Marian’s initial advantage, Nazareth’s offense found its rhythm in the second quarter and maintained it through the second half. They outscored Marian 15-12 in the third quarter, finishing it with a significant lead. Sakalas and senior point guard Alainna Poisson were instrumental in extending this advantage; Poisson scored 15 points while Sakalas led with 17 points.
Stritzel emphasized patience: “It’s a 32-minute game,” he said. “We knew Marian would come out strong, but we adjusted and did what we do best.”
Marian attempted to close the gap but faced challenges due to mistakes and missed opportunities. Bolton concluded with 13 points and reflected on their struggles: “We took our foot off the gas at times, and they capitalized on it. We just didn’t execute when we needed to.”
Senior Ty Jackson added six points for Marian but could not counter Nazareth’s offensive momentum or their rebounding strength in the second half.
In his postgame comments, Marian head coach Dan Murray recognized Nazareth’s offensive capabilities: “They’ve got a lot of weapons. We got good looks but didn’t finish around the basket, and that hurt us.”
Despite this setback, Murray remained positive about his team’s development as they prepare for state playoffs. Meanwhile, Nazareth celebrated both their victory and their milestone anniversary with pride.