Despite playing what coach Andy Gil called their “best hard-nosed game of the year,” the Cate boys fell to Tri-Valley League rival St. Bonaventure Friday, 74-59.
“Extremely proud of our guys for competing and making Bonnie work for all of it,” Gil said. “We beat ourselves and it stings.
“We were able to cut the lead to six points with three minutes to go, but the story of the night was the lid on the rim. I was extremely pleased with our shot selection, we just didn’t make enough.”
In his first full game back from an ankle injury on December 3, Cate star Babacar Pouye had a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds, while holding St. Bonaventure standout Dylan Benner, a 6-foot-8 junior, to just two first-half points. He finished with 11.
Rams sophomore Marcus Scudder scored 14 points and “was terrific tonight,” Gil said. “He played good defense and was a terror for their guard as he drove strong to the rim.”
Senior Jengus Ercil also scored 14 points for Cate, and Tyler Martinez added 11. The two “were tough as nails tonight,” Gil said.
“We were undersized at all but one position tonight and they boxed out hard and made Bonnie earn everything in the paint.
“Size was the biggest different tonight. Bonnie had too many big strong guys.”
Gil added a shout-out to Will Vanica and Jacob Gabbay and Peter Lehman “for putting us in a chance to win by playing great team defense.”
Cate is now 1-2 in league play and 6-6 overall. On Monday the Rams host Santa Clara at 6 p.m. in another TVL game.
“We haven’t had a full healthy practice with all 12 guys this season,” Gil said. “We are close to being fully healthy but we will continue to make a run and the goal is still to win league. Our league is wide open and all five teams can play.”