The boys basketball team beat the Archbishop Mitty Lions 56-51 in their last game of CCS Open Division playoffs on Wednesday night.
The game started off slow offensively for the Bears as it was riddled with turnovers and missed shots. After more offensive and defensive struggles, senior shooting guard Trevor Cadigan made a midrange jumper to put M-A’s first points on the board. This helped build momentum for the Bears, making way for two more swift buckets and setting the score at 6-2 with four minutes left in the first quarter.
Despite an increase in defensive intensity for the Bears, Mitty still found ways to shoot and eventually went up after hitting a three-pointer. However, a steal in the last 30 seconds from Cadigan gave way for an easy fast-break layup, resulting in the Bears taking back their lead at 8-7 to finish the first quarter.
“Our game against Riordan was pretty ugly, so everyone made sure to come out on defense and play really hard as a team,” Cadigan said.
Starting the second quarter, junior shooting guard Bryce Winters hit a three-pointer, but the Lions had no trouble responding, making a three and midrange bucket of their own. The Bears remained unfazed and continued to push the ball at a fast pace, scoring bucket after bucket. This helped them eventually build a sizable lead of 21-14 with two minutes left. Even so, Mitty slowly managed to claw their way back into the game, dwindling M-A’s lead down to one point and ending the half 22-21.
With sloppy turnovers and a loss of intensity on M-A’s end, Mitty was able to begin the second half on a five-point run. However, the Bears were able to recover with a backdoor cut and easy layup from junior shooting guard Luca Auer. Cadigan followed this with two buckets of his own, making the score 29-28 for the Bears.
The scoreline remained tight throughout the following minutes as every point was quickly responded to by the other team. Despite missing some of their shots, domination on the offensive rebounds helped M-A continue to consistently score and build a lead. A gritty three-point play from junior center Aiden Atkins put the score at 40-33 with two minutes to go. As the time ran out, the Bears found themselves unable to get a good shot due to many turnovers, ending the third quarter ahead 40-36.
Tensions were high as Mitty kicked off the final quarter by hitting a tough three-point shot, cutting the Bears lead back to one point. Desperate to stay ahead, jumpers from junior small forward Jerry Williams and Cadigan followed by a layup from Auer kept the Lions at bay. However, Mitty stayed relentless and lazy closeouts let them catch fire from the three-point line. The game completely flipped around, with the Lions hitting a third three pointer, giving them a 50-46 lead with 3:20 left in the game.
Determined to not let the game slip away, Auer and Williams took the game into their own hands, starting with Williams finding Auer for two assists and open layups. Williams then gave the Bears back their lead after an impressive drive and finish, setting the score at 52-51 with one minute left. In Mitty’s final possession, the Bears managed to seal the win by drawing a charge, giving them possession of the ball. Mitty intentionally fouled as a last ditch effort to regain possession and score, but it was to no avail and the game ended with a score of 56-51.
“Today we battled, man. Mitty’s a great team but we found a way today, and it was a great team win overall,” Auer said.
“We are going to watch film, scout whoever we have to play, and just bring the same high energy we had today for NorCals,” Cadigan said.
This concludes the CCS Open Division playoffs, and the boys basketball team will now go on to the NorCal championships.
