Cate – 53 Faith Baptist – 58

December 11, 2025

The Cate boys varsity basketball team faced off Friday night against a familiar opponent—Faith Baptist—in a rematch of last year’s CIF First Round playoff game.

After a sluggish outing in their first game back from break against Coastal Christian, the Rams opened this one with renewed energy and purpose. From the tip, Cate’s defensive intensity stood out. Their on-ball pressure produced a string of deflections, steals, and blocks, forcing the Conquerors into over-dribbling, turnovers, and tough shots.

Offensively, the Rams pushed tempo in the first quarter and generated multiple clean looks within their sets. In his return to the court, senior Josh Butler came out firing, knocking down two threes in the opening frame. Butler would finish the game with 18 points. Juniors Jackson Steele contributed six of his 17 in the first, and Braylin Glomah also contributed four early finishing the night with 10. Cate jumped out to an early lead before trips to the free-throw line helped Faith stay close. Cate led 16–14 after one.

Faith Baptist gained momentum in the second quarter with timely outside shooting, while their top scorer found a rhythm in the mid-range, adding six points. Despite the back-and-forth play, the Rams held their composure, answering with key offensive contributions from Steele, Butler, junior Jacob Zhao and sophomore Gurnoop Singh.

The third quarter proved challenging for Cate as their energy dipped and Faith continued to shoot well, extending the lead to double digits. But the Rams refused to fold. Led by Steele’s outside shooting, Cate closed the quarter on a 9–4 run to keep the game within reach.

Entering the fourth down 46–39, the Conquerors deliberately slowed the pace, working deep into the shot clock and finding high-quality looks. Cate countered with increased full-court pressure and strong attacks in the paint, with Butler and Glomah converting high-percentage opportunities. A tough over-the-back call on a strong rebound by senior Chase Meyer erased a key basket and shifted momentum, contributing to a stretch in which Faith went to the line four times in the quarter compared to just once for Cate.

A late three from senior Gavin Udell stretched the deficit to nine with 30 seconds remaining, but the Rams continued to battle. Senior Barron Crayton wrestled away a loose ball to give Cate one final look, with Butler’s last-second attempt just missing as the Rams fell 53–58.

While the result wasn’t what we hoped for, we’ll build on the level of intensity we opened with and the toughness we showed throughout. The Rams open league play next Tuesday against Bishop Diego.