Ending With A W

February 5, 2026

The boys’ varsity basketball team closed out its season with a final Tri-Valley matchup against St. Bonaventure on Monday night, followed by a non-league home game against Providence on Tuesday. Coming off the high energy of our game against Thacher, playing three games in five days was a tall task, but the Rams rose to the challenge, finishing the season playing hard, unselfishly, and with some of the highest-energy basketball we’ve shown all season. Thank you for all of your support this season. Our team fed off the energy and encouragement of our community.

Cate: 46 

St. Bonaventure: 60

Both teams came out a bit sluggish in the final Tri-Valley League matchup after a demanding schedule through the last weeks of January. Coming off a loss to St. Bonaventure the previous Friday, the Rams were determined not to be intimidated by size or experience, and we showed it from the opening tip.

Our defensive effort and relentless pursuit of offensive rebounds set the tone early, giving us multiple second- and third-chance opportunities. Juniors Jackson Steele and Braylin Glomah, and freshman Julian Belfer made immediate impacts with rebounds, steals, and deflections that helped contain the Seraphs. Freshman Ian Kim added key offensive boards as we played fearless, unintimidated basketball. We trailed just 13–10 after the first quarter.

The second quarter was messy at times with turnovers and missed shots on both sides, but we kept attacking. Steele knocked down an important 3-point shot, and senior Chase Meyer drained a three while drawing a foul. Down five with three minutes left in the half, the Rams battled back to take a 21–20 lead. St. Bonaventure answered with a bucket with 13 seconds remaining, but this is where our growth showed. Steele pushed the tempo, Glomah set an on-ball screen on the wing, Steele attacked, and then found Glomah rolling out to the three-point line. Glomah calmly buried the buzzer-beater to give Cate a 24–22 lead heading into halftime.

The second half opened with jump balls, turnovers, and fouls, but Belfer delivered a huge third quarter, finishing a lefty drive, grabbing two offensive rebounds, dishing a beautiful assist to Glomah, and helping contain the Seraphs’ top freshman scorer. We generated good looks, but our legs started to fade, and St. Bonnies found their second wind.

Their run was finally stopped late in the third when Meyer delivered a perfectly timed out-of-bounds assist to Glomah for a dunk, swinging momentum back toward Cate. Steele followed with a remarkable, improbable shot to cut into the Seraphs’ lead, 32 – 43.

Both teams found their shooting rhythm in the fourth. St. Bonaventure struck first, but the Rams never backed down. Glomah attacked the basket for key drives, and Meyer knocked down a transition three to bring the game within eight. Unfortunately, this is where our fatigue really began to show as the Seraphs went on a 10-0 run. Despite being down double digits, the Rams never gave up. Our defense locked in late, holding the Seraphs to just one point over the final 2:30, while we scored six, four from Steele and two from Glomah.

While the result didn’t fall our way, this game showed just how much this group has grown. We competed with toughness, effort, and courage against a talented and experienced opponent.

Cate: 61

Providence: 32

In their final game of the season, the Rams took on Providence School on Tuesday night and delivered a dominant performance, closing out the year with a 61–32 victory in which every healthy team member contributed. It was a fitting way to honor the effort and commitment of the entire roster, and a meaningful send-off for our seniors in their final high school basketball game.

The Rams came out attacking from the outset. Junior Braylin Glomah set the tone offensively, scoring six quick points and finishing the night with a team-high 17. Senior Chase Meyer powered through contact for an early and-one, igniting the bench and crowd. Despite battling knee tightness and hip soreness, junior Jackson Steele provided steady leadership on both ends of the floor, contributing 10 points across three quarters along with important ball distribution to keep the offense flowing, and was fantastic on defense, keeping Providence’s point guard to just 7 total points.

With these early contributions, Cate jumped out to a 13 point lead. Providence, however, refused to fold, battling back with energy and effort to make it a game. After eight minutes of play, the score stood at 15–12, setting the stage for the Rams to regroup and respond.

The Rams were dominant in the second quarter, with Glomah pouring in nine more points, sophomore Gurnoop Singh knocking down a huge three-pointer, and Steele doing what he does best as our most consistent outside shooter. The Rams put together a 17-point quarter, but even more impressively held Providence to just four points. From there, there was no looking back. Their offensive rhythm was matched by relentless defensive effort with steals, blocks, deflections, and strong rebounding that fueled transition opportunities and widened the gap heading into halftime.

The focus in the second half shifted to creating scoring opportunities for Meyer, so he could finish his final game strong. Battling a sore ankle, Meyer stayed composed and aggressive, knocking down outside shots and free throws to close out his career with nine points.

Others stepped up with important contributions as well. Sophomore Michael Mumbo continued to be a force on the boards, showing that his future is bright, and added four points in the third quarter. Junior Jacob Zhao chipped in four fourth-quarter points, while late-season walk-on senior Tres Davison scored his first varsity basket in a special moment for the team.

Sophomores David Fu and Kunqi Wang provided valuable energy off the bench, and freshman Julian Belfer continued to show a distributor-first mindset, highlighting the important role he played as a facilitator in the second half of the season and as an emerging leader as a ninth grader. Freshman Ian Kim, who started every game this season, added seven points, and showed toughness beyond his years. Fellow freshman Ashton Knecht contributed meaningful minutes as the Rams showcased their depth and commitment to one another.

This is a young team. After graduating six seniors last year, we knew this season would require players to step into new roles. That challenge became even more real when last year’s second-leading scorer, Josh Butler, suffered a career-ending injury in just our fifth game. Despite the roller coaster of a season, I am most proud of how this group learned by doing, including stepping up, embracing new positions, working through adversity, and never giving up.

Seasons like this test everyone, and I’m proud of the fight we showed down the stretch, especially when it would have been easy to fold.

Our future is bright, and our senior leaders, Josh Butler, Chase Meyer, and Barron Crayton, have left a lasting legacy of heart, leadership, and toughness that we will carry into the offseason and next year.