PRINCETON — It was not lost upon St. Bede coach Mike Kilmartin that Friday’s game at Princeton could be a trap game for his Bruins, even though the Tigers have defeated his St. Bede Bruins the past three years on the Tigers’ home floor, and the PHS seniors would be playing their final game at Prouty Gym.

The Bruins had just posted a big win Tuesday over 3A ranked Peoria Notre Dame, clinched a share of the NCIC championship and were looking ahead to the regional tournament. And while the Bruins may have fallen into the Tigers’ web, they avoided the trap, escaping with a 46-45 victory.

“You can tell the kids this is an important game, win the conference with however many (three) teams we’ve got, but they’re thinking about Bureau Valley,” Kilmartin said. “It’s just human nature. Because if you do lose, what does it mean? What does it really mean?”