SPRINGFIELD, MO -- The Irish finished the 2019 Blue & Gold in better fashion than they started. Coming off of back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018, the team was faced with a tougher task not being seeded entering the tournament. 

The Irish fell in their opening game to 3-seed Bolivar in the first round but bounced back with a 46 point win over Ash Grove in the second round. The boys moved on to face Willow Springs in the third game and that 63-40 win set-up a Consolation final against #6 seed Lebanon. 

The game started off slow for the Irish in the first quarter watching the Yellowjackets shoot 4/5 from beyond the arc and building an 8-point lead in the process. The Irish closed the gap to 3 at the 6:27 mark in the 2nd, but Lebanon pulled away and went into halftime up 29-16.

The Yellowjackets continued to pile on in the 3rd, extending their lead to 17, but that is where the bleeding would stop. The Irish went on a 14-0 run before Lebanon would answer with 1:28 remaining in the quarter. Zach Howell ended the third with a 3-pointer from the wing to tie the game up at 37.

Catholic started quickly in the fourth, extending their lead to 6 in just under a minute. Lebanon wouldn't give though, and chipped away at the Irish lead. The Jackets eliminate the lead at the 1:45 mark with a Quinton Shelton layup. Lebanon added another two free throws to give them a 5-point cushion with just 1:18 remaining. Will Morrison converted 1 of 2 free throws to cut the lead to four and the Irish quickly fouled, sending Ethan Christal to the free throw line. The free-throw bounced around the rim but did not fall and the Irish quickly pushed the ball up the court where Zach Howell was fouled on the wing. Zach converted the first free-throw, cutting the lead to 3. The second free throw bounced off the rim and was tipped and eventually rebounded by Will Morrison who found Howell cutting to the basket. Zach converted the bucket and drew a foul in the process. The made free throw tied the game at 50 with 51 seconds remaining. 

There was no doubt that Lebanon was going to get the ball in the hands of Quinton Shelton who dribbled the ball and milked the clock to 10 seconds. Quinton drove left and converted a driving one-handed jump shot from 12 feet. Coach Hunt quickly called time-out but there was only 4 seconds left on the clock. 

What happned next will surely be remembered by the crowd for quite sometime. Irish quarterback, Will Squibb inbounded the ball. The overhand pass was completed to Liam O'Reilly (also a receiver), who had to jump out of bounds to save the pass. Liam successfully lateraled the ball to Ben Galligos. Ben took one dribble past half-court and quickly found Zach Howell on the wing, where he let go of his 6th triple attempt of the night. The ball drew iron but caromed softly off the backbord before falling through the hoop as time expired. The luck of the Irish was evident tonight. 

The Irish moved to 8-4 on the season and didn't go home empty-handed. Zach Howell led all scorers with 27, Liam O'Reilly dished out 6 assists, and Will Morrison nabbed 8 boards. Catholic will move into Big 8 Conference play next Tuesday (1/7) at home against the Marshfield Blue Jays.