The Cate boys basketball duo of Tyler Martinez and Marcus Scudder proved to be too much for Bishop Diego on Wednesday, as the Rams came away with a 67-62 victory inside the Brick House.
The crosstown matchup marked the beginning of Tri-Valley League play for both the Rams and the Cardinals.
“[Bishop] is a very well-coached team by James (Coronado), so anytime we can beat them is always a good thing,” Rams coach Andy Gil said.
Martinez and Scudder combined for 49 of Cate’s 67 points, getting it done mostly in the paint while also hitting some timely outside shots.
“Tyler Martinez and Scudder were phenomenal,” Gil said. “They are two of the only guys that played last year for me, so there’s a big responsibility on their shoulders and they understand that.”
On top of his game-high 27 points, Martinez was a beast on the boards, collecting 19 rebounds.
“I’m a football player, so I gotta be physical and box out,” Martinez said. “We’re playing with a smaller lineup this year so it’s important that we box out, especially on the defensive glass.”
The game got off to a back-and-forth start, with the Cardinals holding a 10-7 lead after the first five minutes on the back of four points by Damien Krautmann.
However, the Rams dominated the rest of the opening quarter to the tune of an 8-0 run, taking a 15-10 lead into the second.
That lead stayed around five for the majority of the second quarter until the 2:35 mark.
There, three straight layups by Crew Sjovold, Nate Borgatello and Krautmann brought Bishop Diego to within one at 31-30.
That score held for the final minute of the half to make it a one-point game at halftime.
At the half, Martinez had already left his mark on the game with a double-double, picking up 17 points and 10 rebounds in the first 16 minutes.
“[Martinez] is a beast and he knows that this whole year we are undersized, so he’s always going to have to guard the biggest, strongest guy,” Gil said. “He’s an animal and he knows the style I like.”
The third quarter was tightly contested, with six different lead changes and three tied scores. In that quarter, Scudder scored six points, a few of which came on tough layups through contact.
At the end of the period, Cate’s Shawn Cordeiro picked up an offensive rebound and hit a mid-range jumper just before the buzzer to give the Rams a 47-43 advantage heading into the final quarter.
The Rams maintained that momentum in the first half of the fourth quarter, extending their lead up to nine points with around three minutes to go.
Bishop Diego started to chip away from there, cutting the lead down to just two after a block by Ryder Torres led to a transition three-pointer from Torres with 1:36 remaining in the game.
However, Scudder responded immediately with a successful leaning layup through contact. From there, Bishop Diego couldn’t find the bottom of the bucket and Cate converted its free throws down the stretch.
“We made plays when it mattered and we made free throws when it mattered,” Gil said. “They like each other and they trust each other… I credit them, it wasn’t really me today.”
While Martinez and Scudder dominated the box score for Cate, Krautmann led Bishop Diego in scoring with 21 points while Nathan Borgatello poured in 15 of his own to go along with six rebounds.
The Cardinals are slated to take on Flintridge Prep on Saturday while the Rams will take on Cabrillo next Tuesday.
Providence 56, Anacapa 9
The Patriots dominated all facets of the game en route to a 47-point victory over Anacapa.
“We came out and executed our game plan very well,” Providence coach Micah Ruiz said. “I’m proud of the effort my guys played with. I’m glad I could get everyone a good amount of playing time.”
Jordan LaBrie led the scoring attack with 15 points to go along with six rebounds. Micah Song followed him up with a great all-around performance, collecting 14 points, six assists and five boards.
Ruiz also mentioned Ian Lopez and Sam Hein as impact players in the win.
