In a showdown for first place in the Frontier League, Cate fell behind 26-13 at halftime and suffered a 63-44 boys basketball loss to visiting Thacher on Wednesday.
Thacher improves to 5-0 in league and leads Cate (4-2) by two games.
“Unfortunately for us, we never were able get our horses going,” said Cate coach Andy Gil. “There were moments when we were on the verge of making a run but Thacher would counter with a steal for a layup, a three-pointer or an offensive board for a bucket. I credit Thacher, their matchup zone worked perfectly for them, forcing us to take bad shots and really limited our attacking. Thacher hit big shot after big shot.”
The Rams (13-4 overall) also were plagued by foul trouble. Thacher shot 28 free throws and made 16.
“I told the guys at halftime that the lid on the basketball would open up,” Gil said. “We were getting great looks in the first half and nothing was falling. Unfortunately, that lid stayed shut, and that’s basketball.
“Thacher is a good team, ranked in the top 10 in their division, so although it stings tonight, this game will help us in a few weeks.”
Ethan Ng scored 13 points to lead Cate.
Thacher was led by Cyrus Leung with 19 points and Conor Kelly with 12.
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.