Down by twenty points in the second half, it might have been easy for the Saints to mail it in with a potential state tournament home game looming next Tuesday.

Evidently, Alex Petrie had other ideas in mind.

The senior point guard scored 23 of his game-high 36 points in the fourth quarter, helping his team erase a twenty-point second-half deficit as the Saints downed Fork Union 80–77 in a thrilling Prep League quarterfinal on Tuesday afternoon in Scott Gym.

The Saints (20–8, 3rd Prep) did not have ample time to prepare for the visiting Blue Devils, who were awarded sixth place in the Prep League on the basis of a coin flip done on Monday.

FUMA used it to their advantage.

The Blue Devils (7–15, 6th Prep) shot a torrid 50% (13-of-26) from behind the arc, leading after the first, second, and third quarters. It was right after intermission that they did most of their damage. Following a Saints' three to even the score at 30 apiece, the visitors reeled off a 14–0 and 21–3 run, primarily on the strength of their three-point shooting. The FUMA backcourt of Dewton Shelton and Antonio Pua'auli-Pelham did nearly all the damage, combining for 46 points and eight triples.

Trailing by fourteen points going into the fourth quarter, Petrie and co. decided to put on the afterburners.

What ensued was a furious rally, as the Saints collected steal after steal, converting them into fast-break buckets the other way. A Petrie three cut the lead to four points with just three minutes left, and, after a pair of free throws, the Lafayette commit gave the home team the lead for the first time all night with a wing trey that put St. Chris up 72–71, to the delight of the home crowd.

From there, the Saints got the Blue Devils into foul trouble, and amassed a five-point lead over a stunned FUMA team. Though he did not shoot well from the line on the day, Petrie made free-throws when they mattered most, helping the Saints avoid a disastrous upset.

Ameer Bennett '17 had another double-double with 11 points and 11 boards. Freshman Joe Bamisile chipped in 10 markers, and Justin Jasper '18 added nine plus four assists. Both he and Eric Thompson '17 collected five steals, a career-high for Jasper and season-bests for both.

As a team, St. Chris turned FUMA over 24 times, and had seventeen pick-pockets. Remarkably, all but one Saint who took the floor recorded at least one steal. The Saints outscored the Blue Devils 38–21 in the final eight minutes, the highest output in any single quarter this season.

The team also ensured its third consecutive 20-win season and, incidentally, the third all-time.

Now back to business, St. Chris will look for a second straight berth in the Prep League Finals as they battle with the team who ended their title hopes a year ago, #2 St. Anne's-Belfield. Tipoff is set for 7:30pm, shortly following the first semifinal between #1 Trinity and #4 Collegiate.

Both contests will be held at Trinity Episcopal, and will have an admission fee of $5.