Cate fell behind 19-4 in the first period and got blitzed by Buena, 85-31, in a non-league boys basketball game on Wednesday at Buena.
The Rams played without leading scorer and rebounder Babacar Pouye, who suffered an ankle injury in the championship game of the Nordhoff Tournament on Saturday.
Cate coach Andy Gil called the blow-out loss “a much-needed gut check” for his shorthanded team.
“I think in the long run this game will benefit us,” he said. “Playing against a large, strong program like Buena will prepare us for league and playoffs. Scheduling this non-league game was intentional and done to make us better.”
Gil noted that the Rams missed several layups, shot poorly from the free-throw line and struggled to get back on defense.
“Today we got burned and humbled in transition. We must have gave up 30 points in transition for uncontested or trailing layups,” he said.
“The best part of basketball is we learn and move on and have a short turn around. Practice tomorrow and league game Friday.”