Cate Holds Off Bishop Diego to Claim 67-62 Victory in Tri-Valley League Opener

Tyler Martinez and Marcus Scudder combined for 49 points as the Cate boys’ basketball team held on to defeat Bishop Diego 67-62 on Wednesday night at the Brick House.

The two teams went back and forth in their Tri-Valley League opener, but the Rams seized control late in the third quarter and captured the crucial victory.

“Anytime we beat Bishop Diego it’s always a good thing. They are a very well coached team by James {Coronado},” said Cate coach Andy Gil. “What I told them in the locker room is we made plays when it mattered and we made free throws when it mattered.”

In addition to his 27 points, Martinez pulled down 20 rebounds. His dominance on the boards at 6’1” helped make up for a turnover-plagued performance by the Rams.

“I’m a football player so I’ve got to 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 boards.”

Martinez knocked down two three-pointers early in the first quarter, the second of which tied the score at seven apiece with 4:40 remaining in the first quarter. A driving layup by Scudder with three seconds remaining in the first quarter increased the Cate lead to 15-10. 

Bishop Diego slowly clawed back into the game throughout the second quarter and cut its deficit to 31-30 in the final moment of the first half on a basket inside by Damien Krautmann.

Krautmann finished with a team-high 21 points. Nate Borgatello also chipped in 15 points for the Cardinals.  

Bishop Diego took a 32-31 lead with 7:45 remaining in the third quarter on a floater by Dominic Herrera, which was the first of several third quarter lead changes.

A driving layup by Scudder gave Cate a 45-43 lead with just under one minute remaining in the third quarter and Shawn Cordeiro followed with a mid-range jumper with four seconds remaining in the period, increasing the Rams’ lead to 47-43.

Cate built its lead to 59-50 with 2:55 remaining in the fourth quarter on a long three-pointer by Martinez that banked in, but the Cardinals responded with a 9-2 run capped off by a Ryder Torres three-pointer that cut the deficit to 61-59 with 1:33 remaining. 

With the game in the balance, Scudder came up big with a driving layup that gave Cate a 63-59 lead with 1:11 remaining in the fourth quarter

“I usually try to set my defender and then try to find an opening to get to the rim,” Scudder said. “I also try to kick it out to my teammates when they collapse too.”

Cate knocked down 4-of-6 free-throws in the final minute to secure the victory. With the win the Rams improve to 5-1 overall and 1-0 in Tri-Valley League play. Bishop Diego drops to 2-4 overall and 0-1 in tri-Valley League play.