After last year’s buzzer-beater victory against rival St. Augustine’s, the sport of basketball skyrocketed in popularity at Cathedral Catholic High School. The Dons are looking to give fans an even better reason to come out and cheer them on: win more games and a CIF title, and do it in amazing fashion.
Last season, the Dons won a total of 17 games before being kicked out of the playoffs in the second round by the eventual CIF champion University City. This season, with seven games left to be played in the regular season, the Dons already boast an improved 19-1 record. The biggest contributing factor in the team’s success this season is certainly its unity.
“We all feed off of each other,” said junior Xavier Williams who leads the team in scoring. “We are all so close, and we do what we need to do to win.”
Xavier attributes this closeness to the strong junior contingent on the team. Of the twelve boys on the team, 10 of them are juniors; including Captain Nick Prunty who is second on the team in scoring.
The team’s other Captain, and only senior player, Brenden Reh, has more than proved himself to his teammates both on and off the court. Aside from leading the team in offensive rebounds and boasting the second best field goal percentage on the team, he’s also been a true captain off the court. “He’s a leader, he’s always saying something positive,” said Williams.
Last week, the Dons played at home against University City, the reigning CIF champs and the team who sent the Dons home last year in the playoffs. “We wanted to beat them as much as we could,” said Williams. And that is what they did. By halftime the Dons had built more than a 40 point lead; they ended the game nearly putting up 90 points in an 89-38 blowout victory.
Any athlete at Cathedral Catholic will tell you that a goal of all teams is to win a CIF title; however, the Dons want more than just that this season. They want to prove without a shadow of a doubt they are the best team in their league. “We want the best record in league play,” said Williams. The Dons are on the right path for this goal as they are currently undefeated (5-0) in league play, including a recent 81-64 win over Lincoln. It was their second straight game of 80+ points.
The Dons continue their quest for a CIF title this week with two games at home, tomorrow (January 24th) against La Jolla (2-15), and Friday (January 27th) against rival St. Augustine again, this time at home. The Saints boast a 17-4 record and are coming off of a 79-51 win against University City.
The Dons are almost certainly playoff bound as they are currently ranked furst in their league and are second only to La Costa Canyon in the San Diego Section.