Looking for another victory without Matt Christiansen, the Irish made a big second half push to secure a victory against the Deer Creek Antlers. The game wasn’t perfect for the now 11-3 Irish, there were some struggles, but Coach Durham’s boys should be proud of the outcome. With the place rocking, filled from seat to seat, the Irish had an environment like no other.

Deer Creek got to the semi-final game for beating Northwest Classen. The Antlers went to overtime with the Knights, and squeezed out a one-point victory. Bishop McGuinness was beat by the Knights of NW Classen earlier this season. However, the Antlers didn’t have that same Irish team a month ago.

Despite the final result, Bishop McGuinness got out to a slow start. It was a struggle to score, and the referees were getting whistle happy. This game was very slow-paced, and the Antlers and Irish were dealt with foul trouble. It certainly didn’t help McGuinness with having to limit Jameel Whitney and Joe Edmonds in the second half. Coach Durham’s team didn’t let the set back make it their downfall.

Zach Murphy and Kevin Caruthers had key roles in the win tonight. Murphy was able to attack the basket, and pick up the easy buckets for the green and white. Caruthers, who took a hard hit last night to the ground, was able to find his rhythm. The foul trouble hurt the Irish in some ways, but helped in others. McGuinness was fairly accurate from the line, and the Irish student section provided the noise to make Deer Creek miss shots from the charity line.

It was a great effort by the Irish, and they picked up the blow-out win, 69-46. Bishop takes on the Carl Albert Titans tomorrow at 7:30 PM for the championship. Carl Albert pulled out a close win against Edmond North in the first semifinal match-up. Video highlights will be available for that game, and Irish updates are always on our Twitter page! Follow all the action, by getting the latest from @IrishOnDeck.