The Cate boys basketball team took third place in the Ojai Invitational by taking down McAuliffe in a tight game, 50-48.
Pierce Lundt made two clutch free throws with six seconds remaining and the Cate defense held for the victory.
Cate’s leading scorer Mark Pliso fouled out after scoring 24 points, but the Rams found a way to win without him.
Cate forced back-to-back stops late and had possession with 26 seconds remaining in a tied up ball game.
“Our plan was to take the last shot,” said Cate coach Andrew Gil.
The inbound pass was tipped and Lundt was fouled, sending him to the line after being held scoreless throughout the game. Lundt knocked down both of his shots to send the Rams to victory.
With the victory, Cate improved to 3-2 on the season. The Rams take on Laguna Blanca on Wednesday.
— Noozhawk sports reporter Christian Eckert can be reached at ceckert@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports and @noozhawk. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.