Basketball looks “to get a win” against Poway Titans in CIF Quarterfinals

Basketball looks to get a win against Poway Titans in CIF Quarterfinals

Lorenzo Aguilar, Staff Writer

The Cathedral Catholic boys’ varsity basketball team is on a roll as they came off a big win in their first round of CIF playoffs on Tuesday. The team beat the San Ysidro Cougars, who were 5-0, in a tight one, since the Cougars had home court advantage.

The Dons struggled in the beginning of the game, as they had a hard time against the Cougars’ press defense. The team trailed the Cougars 35-43 at the half. After the half, the Dons recovered and cut their lead in half, trailing 53-57 at the end of the third quarter. Reid Johnson helped the team in the fourth quarter, as he made a three-point play with five minutes left in the game, giving the Dons the lead. Their great passing, shooting, and finishing gave them team a close game, but they found a way to beat the San Ysidro Cougars with a final score of 80-68.

The starters made a significant contribution to the matchup. “It was a great game by our starters but their crowd was definitely on us as they were screaming and booing us,” said senior Trevor Bloom, who plays at center.

The starters included junior Austin Beech, who scored 24 points, along with junior Cameron Moore who scored 24 points and had 4 assists. Junior Matt Elliot also added 16 points and 6 rebounds and starter Reid Johnson made his presence known with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists.

The Dons face the Poway Titans tonight at 7:00 p.m. here at the Claver Center. The Dons expect to have an advantage over the Titans since they are seeded higher and now have the benefit of home court advantage, with the support of the Sea of Red.

The Titans, 5-5 in league and 17-12 overall, recently came out of a big win, as they beat the Helix Highlanders last Tuesday with a final score of 70-49. But the Dons are still certain that they will win in tonight’s CIF Quarterfinals game. Junior Jack Vecchio, who is a shooting guard on the team, said: “The home court advantage will help us this time and we also went over our plays, especially on defense, so we are looking to get a win.”