Cate stepped up its defensive intensity in the second half and pulled away to a 47-29 victory over 5A Division top-ranked Bishop Diego in a Frontier League girls basketball game on Thursday.
The Rams led 19-14 at halftime.
“As has been the case throughout our season, stepping up our defensive intensity created strong offense,” said Cate coach Laura Moore. “It also enabled us to shake off the rust in the second half. Our tenacious defense led to fastbreak points and held the Cardinals to five points.”
Cate (15-4, 1-0) opened up a 32-19 lead in the third quarter.
“We got into some foul trouble in the third quarter,” Bishop coach Jeff Burich said. “We were then outscored 13-5. I was proud of how we battled back, cutting the lead to eight and forcing a turnover. The momentum quickly swung back to Cate and they closed the game on a 13-3 run.”
He praised the play of Lily Simolon on both ends of the court.
“We need to do a better job of matching Cate’s physicality,” said Burich
Bishop is 13-6 and 1-1 in league.
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.