Notre Dame’s Inside Game Is Too Much for St. Bernard : Preps: Center Tom Stillwell and forward Monte Marcaccini combine for 47 points to lead the Knights to a 91-72 victory.

St. Bernard High guard Darren Mitchell had little difficulty stressing the importance of the Vikings’ game Wednesday night against Notre Dame.

However, the senior was at a loss to find the reasons for his team’s play in a 91-72 Mission League defeat at St. Bernard.

Notre Dame, which entered the game tied for second with Loyola in the league standings, improved to 19-6 and 10-3 in league.

St. Bernard, which had been a game ahead of Crespi in fourth, fell to 11-14 and 7-6 with a league finale against the Celts on Friday.

The top four teams will qualify for the Southern Section playoffs.

Notre Dame also beat St. Bernard, 58-53, last month.

“Notre Dame played worse than last time, we just had lapses the whole game,” said Mitchell, a 6-foot-3 senior who had a team-high 21 points. “We weren’t up for them the way we were the first time. I can’t explain it. We can play with anyone in this league. We just had a lack of heart.”

St. Bernard’s lack of height did not help.

Terrell Hickman scored 15 points for St. Bernard, but the Vikings, who did not have a starter taller than 6-3, were unable to contain Tom Stillwell and Monte Marcaccini.

Stillwell, a 6-8 center, scored a game-high 24 points, and Marcaccini, a 6-5 forward who has signed with Indiana, had 23, including three dunks.

“Notre Dame is a good team, but we didn’t play with emotion,” St. Bernard Coach Jim McClune said. “We’re the ones fighting for a playoff spot and have all the reasons to play hard, but we were just flat.”

St. Bernard trailed, 41-33, at halftime, and the Knights put the game out of reach in the first five minutes of the third quarter.

Notre Dame opened the second half with three-point baskets by Glen Carson, Craig Johnson, Marcaccini and Ryan Stromsberg to help build a 59-41 lead.

Notre Dame led, 20-15, at the end of the first quarter, but Hickman scored the Vikings’ first seven points of the second quarter to tie the score, 22-22, with five minutes 26 seconds left before halftime.

Carson made a three-point basket and Stillwell scored the six points to help Notre Dame open a 31-26 lead with 3:22 left before halftime.

Mitchell made two free throws and a layup to bring the Vikings within 31-30 with 2:27 left.