It didn't look pretty, but St. Joseph survived against McMahon 58-52 Thursday to move to 11-1.
They turned the ball over plenty of times, some of them unforced.
Timajh Parker was the only member of the Cadets to finish in double figures (28 points), a lot of those on putbacks and from the free-throw line.
But the key is sevent-ranked St. Joes survived when it was not clicking on all cylinders. McMahon is a formidable opponent, once ranked in the Register Top 10. The Senators blew a double-digit first-half lead with some mindless turnovers, which continued into the second half.
But they did not go away. Better yet, St. Joes did not put them away. Seven straight missed free throws in the final 3 minutes tells that tale.
Parker is a force in the paint. He had a key blocked shot and a late tip-in to help the Cadets escape. Parker can't do it all by himself if the Cadets want to be Class LL state champions.
Being that careless with the basketball and missing that many free throws will cost you in March. It always does.