ATHOL — Nobody told the Saint John Paul II boys basketball team they were the underdogs Monday. 

The 45th-seeded Lions made the long bus ride from Hyannis to Mallet Gymnasium to take on 20th-seeded Athol in the MIAA Div. 5 preliminary round, and after a slow start, Saint John Paul refused to go away. 

Despite trailing 15-4 after eight minutes, the Lions closed within 21-20 at the half and 37-36 going into the fourth quarter. 

With just over a minute to play, Greg Codjoe hit a jumper at the free throw line that gave St. John Paul a 53-52 lead. The Bears failed to convert on the other end and after the Lions drained the clock down, Athol fouled a St. John Paul player going to the rim, resetting the shot clock and forcing the Bears to play the foul game. 

Sam Scioletti made both at the stripe with 17 seconds to go and an Athol 3-pointer at the buzzer fell short, as St. John Paul pulled off a 55-52 upset victory to keep its season alive. 

The Lions (10-11) will face No. 13 Hoosac Valley in the Round of 32 on Thursday. 

“We had a great season,” Athol coach Brian Patria said. “Unfortunately in the tournament it’s win and move on and we just couldn’t get the job done. I’m proud of how they competed for all four quarters. It’s not like they gave up. They fought but it’s disappointing. We’re all disappointed.” 

The loss closed out the season for Athol (13-8), one that saw the Bears rally to become co-champions of the Hampshire League North. 

It was a senior-led group, and Athol must now replace six graduating seniors next year. 

“The emotions in the locker room, the finite part of it hits them,” Patria said. “It gets emotional down there. We had a great season. It was a lot of ups and downs but to be co-champions of our league is a great thing. We had one right here though. This is a home game we had to take advantage of.”

It was Saint John Paul that took control early in the fourth quarter. 

Tim Cronin got things started with a basket, Codjoe followed with a 3 before Griffin Mayo converted an and-one that put the Lions ahead, 44-37, early in the final frame. 

Athol’s Ben Kearney hit a pair of free throws while Ethan Bacigalupo got to the rim twice, cutting the lead to 44-43 with five minutes to play thanks to a quick 6-0 burst.

Kearney — who picked up three fouls in the first quarter which limited him throughout the first half — looked ready to take over late. The senior hit a 3 with 4:30 to go that tied things at 46, got inside for two on the ensuing possession and after Cronin hit a 3-pointer, Kearney got inside for a basket that put the Bears ahead, 50-49, with just over two minutes to play. 

Mayo hit a tough shot in the paint that put the Lions back ahead before Bacigalupo got inside for two to give the Bears their 52-51 lead. 

It was a dominant start to the game defensively for Athol, which didn’t allow Saint John Paul to score until the 2:53 mark of the first quarter. Offensively, a 3 and a basket inside from Kearney, a score from Ethan Goodwin and a free throw by Logan Cormier helped the Bears build an early 8-2 lead. 

Kearney knocked down another 3 before he and Bacigalupo closed the quarter with baskets that gave the Bears a 15-4 lead after eight minutes. 

It looked like a different Lions team in the second. 

Saint John Paul ramped up its defensive effort, forcing turnovers that led to easy hoops on the other end. Trailing 17-7, the Lions proceeded to go on an 11-0 run to take an 18-17 lead with 2:15 to go in the half behind four points from both Codjoe and Mayo as well as three points from Gabe Codjoe. 

Kearney responded with a basket for the Bears while Bacigalupo got to the tin for two just before the halftime buzzer sounded to give Athol a 21-20 lead at the intermission. 

The teams traded baskets throughout the third quarter, with the Bears surging ahead 31-25 after scores from Bacigalupo, Ethan Goodwin and Dom St. Andre. But five late points from Mayo helped St. John Paul cut the lead to 37-36 going into the fourth. 

Kearney led the way with 23 points, Bacigalupo scored 12 points, Goodwin tallied six points while St. Andre and Aaron Ouellet each had four points in the loss. 

Mayo tossed in 14 points, Greg Codjoe scored 13 points while Cronin added 12 points for the Lions. 

“Give credit to them,” Patria said. “They come here off a long bus ride from the Cape and it took them a little while to get into it. We allowed them to get back in the game by being sloppy a bit. You can’t do that in tournament play. You have to be efficient and execute. We did at times but too many times we didn’t.”