The boys’ basketball team’s season came to an end as they fell short in a game at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory (SHCP) 87-74 on Feb. 25 in the CCS Division-III Quarterfinals.
They traveled to San Francisco to play the 4th seeded SHCP on the home court of the Fightin’ Irish — and the No. 5-seeded Falcons played them tough the whole contest. They trailed 14-13 at the end of the first quarter, 36-32 at the half and 57-50 entering the fourth. Being a private preparatory school, SCHP held a large height and speed advantage, allowing them to make a number of blocks and stops defensively while also providing many second chance opportunities offensively.
However, with the Falcons trailing by 4 in the final minutes, a controversial foul call led senior guard Caleb Yu to slam the ball in frustration, resulting in a technical foul on him. Soon after, assistant coach Kent Paisley drew another technical foul for questioning the officials. In the end, SHCP received a 6-point play and possession afterwards, destroying the Falcons’ momentum for a comeback. In the end, the Falcons could not make up the deficit, suffering a 13-point loss.
In earlier CCS play, they earned a first-round bye and then defeated No. 12 Mills on Feb. 22 at home. The game was neck and neck through the first three quarters, but the Falcons emerged as 54-40 winners.
Entering the fourth, the Falcons leveraged their size advantage by scoring many of their points in the paint. As the Vikings grew fatigued and the Falcons locked up on defense, Mills started airballing shots and taking bad shots. In the end, the Falcons’ size advantage helped them secure the win. Hulme scored 21 and Liu poured in 11 to lead the scoring.
Senior Steven Ning (left) puts up a basket and coach Mike Davey (Right) discusses plays with the team.
The results of the season exceeded some of the players’ expectations. The Falcons ended the season with a 18-8 overall record and tied with Homestead atop the El Camino Division with a 12-2 conference record under the leadership of head coach Mike Davey, bringing home the first title in 13 years.
“This season was really fun and I think we definitely exceeded our expectations coming into the season,” Hulme said. “I would have thought you were crazy if you would have told me we would win or tie league when the season started.”
Underclassmen like Hulme and Liu both made huge strides in their transition from JV starters to varsity starters.
Sophomores Anson Hulme (left) and Aidan Liu (right) put up heavily contested shots against SCHP.
Said Liu, “I’ve definitely developed a lot of confidence in myself when I’m playing. Last year, when I got moved up to varsity at the end of the season, I didn’t really feel as involved with the team. Now, because I’ve gotten a better chance to play with my teammates and grow close together and build better team chemistry.”
Hulme and Liu had the highest average points per game with 13.9 and 11.6, respectively.
Both credited their growth as players to their senior teammates. Seniors Yu, Steven Ning and Daniel Jadali all had a huge impact on the court with net 7.6, 5.2 and 9.2 points contributed, respectively. However, despite the graduation of these key seniors, Liu, Hulme and other returning players see ‘24-’25 as just the start of what they can build.
