WEIRTON — The Madonna boys’ basketball team could never catch up against Cameron.

Cameron jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter and the lead grew to 14 in the third before Madonna battled back, however, the deficit was too much for the Blue Dons to overcome as the Dragons came away with a 63-54 victory Thursday night inside the Dube Dome to spoil Madonna’s Senior Night.

“We really thought in the first half that they hurt us on the boards,” Madonna (6-16) first-year head coach Matt Arlia said. “We couldn’t hang with them. We had too many turnovers, and that falls on us – the coaching staff. That really falls on me. I have to make sure we are more prepared to handle their pressure.

“I thought that was the best defensive game we have played so far. We did a good job in our half-court defense. My two assistant coaches – Matt McFadden and Dom Mazar – did a tremendous job come up with a gameplan. We did really well with our half-court defense. We struggled in the full court.”

The visitors from Marshall County led 17-9 at the end of the first quarter, and the boys in blue were able to bring a victory back home.

“We played together as a team,” Cameron (7-12) head coach Matt Burge said. “We came together. We have struggled in our last couple of games.

“Tonight, we got up on them early. We were able to get out in transition and score. We ran through our offense. Defensively, we did a better job. It was a team effort. Everyone who was on the floor contributed whether it was rebounding, scoring, passing or playing defense. Everybody stepped up.

“This is a big win. Madonna is a hard place to play at.”

Cameron led 32-25 at halftime before opening the third quarter with a 3-pointer to increase its advantage to 10 at 35-25. Later, the Dragons built a 41-27 lead before taking a 46-37 lead into the fourth.

The Blue Dons hung around in the fourth, but they were not able to catch up with the Dragons as both teams scored 17 points in the quarter to account for the final score.

The victory enabled Cameron to sweep the season series. The Dragons defeated the Blue Dons, 57-54, Feb. 4 in the two team’s first matchup this season.

“We knew what to expect,” Arlia said. “It was the same as the first game. They showed a little more full-court pressure.

“We have seen them a lot the last couple of years. Two years ago, we played them three or four times and last year we played them three or four times. We have played them like 11 times in the past three years. We are very familiar with each other.”

Madonna played a couple of different defenses against Cameron.

“They played man tonight,” Burge said. “They pressured us. They played zone the first time. I thought we would see some zone. They had good ball pressure.

“They scouted us. They knew our offense. We were patient. We got the ball to our second or third option. We forced them to keep playing defense. Nowadays, kids don’t like to play defense for more than 10 seconds, and we forced them to continue to play defense.”

Two players produced double digits in points for the hosts. Individually, Koleton Grishkevich contributed a game-high 21 points to lead the way for the boys in white, while Andre Crossland delivered 15.

Five players scored at least nine points for the victors with four of them reaching double digits. Individually, Mason Scott tallied a team-high 18 points to lead the way offensively. Also, Colin Magers collected 14 points, Cuyler McCauley contributed 12 and Carter Paczweski produced 10. Camden Frye finished with nine points.

“We were mentally strong tonight,” Burge said. “We made some mistakes against their pressure. We struggled to get the ball in a couple of times. We were mentally strong tonight. We were able to find the open person, and we were able to get some easy shots.

The game was the final regular season one for both teams.

Prior to the start of the game, Madonna honored its seniors – Brayden Miller, Cole Canterbury, Grishkevich and Crossland.

“Our four seniors have been great,” Arlia said. “It is a great group for a first-year head coach to have. Andre Crossland has been banged up. He had a great season in football, and he is going to have a great season in track. He leaves everything out on the court. Brayden Miller is our ball handler. He is our leader out on the court. Cole Canterbury works hard in practice every day. Koleton Grishkevich has been sick. He missed eight games. This is his first game back. This is his first game in a while. He showed what he can do. He played really well.”

There was no JV game.

Madonna and Cameron are scheduled to open up postseason play in West Virginia Class A Region 1 Quarterfinals Tuesday night.

Madonna – the No. 9 seed – will play at No. 8 seed Morgantown Trinity with the winner traveling to take on No. 1 seed Clay-Battelle in the semifinals Friday night on the road.

The Blue Dons defeated the Warriors, 77-60, Jan. 30 on the road, while Trinity Christian defeated Madonna, 60-43, Feb. 15 on the road.

“They beat us by 17, and we beat them by 17,” Arlia said. “We have played them twice, so we are familiar with each other. It is going to be a hard-fought basketball game.”

Cameron – the No. 7 seed – will take on No. 10 seed Hundred at home with the winner of that game traveling to take on No. 2 seed Magnolia in the semifinals Friday night on the road.

Cameron 63, Madonna 54

Cameron 17 15 14 17 – 63

Madonna 9 16 12 17 – 54

CAMERON (7-12): McCauley 3 4-4 12, Frye 3 2-2 9, Scott 5 8-10 18, Magers 6 2-2 14, Paczewski 5 0-0 10, Estell 0 0-0=2 0, Dobbs 0 0-0 0, Yoss. TOTALS: 22 16-20 63.

MADONNA (6-15): Miller 1 0-0 2, Crossland 7 1-1 15, Canterbury 0 0-0 0, Grishkevich 7 6-11 21, Carte 2 4-4 8, DoBraska 3 0-0 6, Fuscardo 1 0-0 2. TOTALS: 21 11-16 54.

3-POINTERS: Cameron 3 (McCauley 2, Frey); Madonna 1 (Grishkevich)