Rams Falls to Strong a Bishop Team

December 11, 2025

The Cate Boys Varsity Basketball team dropped its Tri-Valley League opener to a strong and energized Bishop Diego squad (6–1).

Bishop, bolstered by new personnel and relentless guard play, stayed in their 2-2-1 press for all 32 minutes. The sustained pressure slowed Cate’s offense and forced too many turnovers, allowing the Cardinals to build an early lead.

Despite the difficult style of play, the Rams never quit or hung their heads. After falling behind by double digits in the opening minutes, they battled back behind key shooting from senior Josh Butler. Senior Barron Crayton provided a huge spark off the bench with tough rebounds and two important baskets that helped chip away at Bishop’s lead.

Any momentum Cate generated, however, was hard to sustain while continually attempting to break the press. The backcourt, led by junior Jackson Steele and freshman Ian Kim, faced the daunting task of both advancing the ball and getting the team into its offense. When the Rams broke the press, they created quality looks for Steele, Butler, junior Braylin Glomah, and senior Chase Meyer. Steele’s early foul trouble, earned while playing the same aggressive defense Bishop was, slowed our rhythm in the first half and made breaking the press even more challenging.

We got strong minutes from junior Jacob Zhao and sophomore Kunqi Wang off the bench, which helped steady things for the Rams in the first half.

Bishop maintained its pressure in the second half, with reserves hitting big threes and continuing the defensive intensity. Unfortunately, the heart and soul of the Rams, Josh Butler left the game with an injury in the third quarter. Despite this setback and the steep climb in the second half, Cate continued to fight to the end.

While the result is disappointing, the team knows that once they broke the press, there were real scoring opportunities created. That’s a promising takeaway, and one fully within our control to improve before seeing Bishop again in January. Most importantly, we never stopped competing, even when the score or the loss of a teammate could have deflated us. I’m proud of our guys for their heart and willingness to learn and be coached.

Cate will face Channel Islands on Thursday at 3:30 in the Ojai Valley Classic at Thacher.