By Coach Michael Usher
Coming into Friday night, the varsity Wildcats were tied atop the Desert Valley League with the visiting Rajahs at 6-1. The game started slowly for the Wildcats; they trailed 27-16 at the end of the first half, but they turned around quickly in the third quarter as the ’Cats came out from the break hungry and determined to hold home court.
The lineup of PJ Horn, Jacob Hueso, Saiz Aguilar, Carson Estrada, and Jeremiah Holmes quickly erased the 11-point halftime deficit, and Xavier Burns and Gabe Villescas kept the defensive intensity up to lead the home team to dominate the second half 51-22, en route to a 67-49 victory.
The win breaks the tie atop the DVL and places the Wildcats in sole possession of first place with three weeks left in the league season.
The Wildcats were paced by sophomore Jeremiah Holmes, who scored 20 points, collected 12 rebounds and took two huge charges in the second half to ignite the team. Senior Saiz Aguilar continued his stellar play with 12 points, and seven assists, and juniors Izzy Goldsmith and Xavier Burns both chipped in with 10 points.
Junior varsity was led by Izaiah Leopoldo with 12 points, and Ray Thorton with six.
