AMCATS and Monks Battle to the End

STANDISH, Maine – Saturday afternoon the AMCATS travelled to Maine to play St. Joe's in GNAC action. For forty minutes the teams went back and forth but at the end of the game the Monks came out on top, 74-69. 

For the AMCATS, sophomore forward Mike Rapoza (Charlton, Mass) led all scorers and rebounders with 23 points and 15 boards to record his 13^th double-double of the season. Mike shot nine-for-15 from the field and was five-of-six from the free throw line. With 18 points in the game, senior forward Kenneth Graham (West Haven, Conn) also recorded eight assists and pulled down five rebounds. Joining Rapoza and Graham in double-digit points was sophomore guard Bobby Perette (Marshfield, Mass) who added 14 to the 'Cats tally. Perette shot five-of-eight from the field and was three-for-six from three-land.

For the Monks, junior guard Darian Berry (Rochester, N.H.) led the team in scoring with 19 points, shooting seven-of-11 from the field. Junior guard Ian Mileikis (Auburn, Maine) scored 14 for the home team while also pulling down eight rebounds and doling out seven assists. Rounding out the double-digit scorers for St. Joe's was senior forward Quinn Richardson-Newton (Saco, Maine) with 11 points.

Trailing 55-49 after Anna Maria Rapoza made a layup with 12:13 left in the second half, the Monks recorded a 16-2 run over the subsequent six minutes, as Richardson-Newton hit a layup to cap the surge and lift his team to a 69-57 lead with 6:07 remaining.

The AMCATS fought back into contention with a late 12-3 run, as a Chris Contento (Marshfield, Mass) nailed a three-pointer to make it a three-point (72-69) with 29 seconds left. On the visitors' following trip down the floor, St. Joe's freshman guard Tatsuaki Sakai (Ishikawa, Japan) drew a charge on a charge, sending Mileikis to the line, where he hit both free throws. This would end up being the final straw as the Monks left the gym with the 74-69 victory.

Up next for Anna Maria will be a home contest against Tuesday night at 7:30 against GNAC leader Albertus Magnus.

Click Here to see the full box score from Saturday's game.