If you were trying to tell the difference between the Bedford Academy Panthers and the Bishop Loughlin Lions during Saturday afternoon's game, your eyes were in for a strain.

It was nearly impossible to tell which players were playing for which team by the jerseys (both squads donned near identical maroon-colored unis), but basketball-wise, Bedford Academy was clearly the better team. Despite some mid-game fight from Loughlin, the CHSAA stalwart fell to the PSAL's Panthers, 65-55, in the Conrad McRae Youth League tournament in Brooklyn.

The PSAL Class A semi-finalists from the 2010-11 season came out charged behind the scoring touch of rising senior scoring guard Sean Snagg and rising sophomore point guard Darren Thomas. At a mere 5'8", the latter showed off his pull-up jumper and solid play-making skills, pushing Bedford out to an early 10-2 lead. Loughlin big man DeJean Palmer sunk one from deep, displaying some versatility with his range, but the Lions didn't make much of in impact until the second quarter.

Loughlin's ability to capitalize on Bedford's lapse in the offensive rebounding department and shooting woes set them up for a 16-6 run. Point guard Jordan Nanton's move to the rack closed the gap to five points, and Javien Delacruz eventually put the Lions out front, 23-22, with a pair of free throws. Thomas earned another dime when he fed 6'5" rising senior Ellis Everett under the hoop to give Bedford a miniscule 26-23 lead to take into the half, but Loughlin's roar would soon be silenced.

Bedford took the podium in the second half with an 8-2 run and controlled the game until the final horn. Delacruz would go on a tear, scoring 14 of his 16 second half points in the fourth quarter, but the display was in vain. Everette's open court exploits (along with major contributions from the 6'2" Snagg and the rest of the Panthers) kept Loughlin at bay and opened up a lead as large as 15 points. Porous free throw shooting also played a role in the Lions' demise. Loughlin shot 0-6 from the charity stripe in the second half, compared to Bedford's 9-10 free throw performance (seven of which were nailed by Snagg).

Bedford Academy were paced by Snagg's 17 points, Everette's 13, Best's 10, and Thomas' 8 (to go along with a handful of assists). Delacruz was the linchpin for Bishop Loughlin with a game high 20 points.