SAN FRANCISCO - The oldest high school rivalry west of the Mississippi saw its latest leg take place this past Tuesday. With the 2022-23 edition historic Bruce Mahoney trophy tied at one apiece after St. Ignatius triumphed in girls volleyball and Sacred Heart Cathedral grinded out a victory in football, both sides had the opportunity to take a commanding lead. After both teams showcased strong performance in their previous Western Catholic Athletic League games, students, parents and faculty poured into USF’s War Memorial Gym, expecting to see a battle for the ages.
While the first half of the encounter was filled with scoring back and forth, it was the Wildcats who ran away with it in the second half. The rivalry may be one of the oldest in the nation, but it was the youngest players on the court, SI’s freshman starters, who overcame the pressure to make their presence felt, leading the ‘Cats to a 78-58 victory.
“It was a great experience. I’ve been talking about this for months,” said freshman Raymond Whitley, who led all players with 18 points. “I wanted to come out and prove something to the whole WCAL. They’ve been talking trash because we have three freshmen in the starting lineup. A lot of teams think they can walk over us, but we wanted to prove we’re not that type of team.”
After a back and forth first half in which St. Ignatius repeatedly jumped ahead to two or three possession leads, only to commit turnovers to allow Irish comebacks, the ‘Cats exploded in the third quarter, opening the period with a 19-2 run to extend their lead to 55-32. For that six-minute stretch, it seemed nothing could go wrong for the Wildcats, as they found created open shots, exploited open lanes, and trapped SHC numerous times with their full court press. Whitley and fellow freshman Caeden Hutcherson led the way, combining for 13 of the 21 Wildcat points in the third.
“We really started making some shots,” said SI head coach Jason Greenfield. “We were getting out on the break. They had to scramble a little more, being down, and that just opened up lanes and shots for us. We just knocked them down.”
No one was more vital to SI’s second half surge than Hutcherson. After a first half in which he failed to record a field goal, the 6-3 freshman found his groove, scoring 15 of his 17 total points - including three shots from beyond the arc - in the final two periods. He also added multiple steals in SI’s half court trap, creating easy layups to build their advantage.
“The click was brought by my teammates,” Hutcherson said. “In the first half, things weren’t going the way I wanted them to, but my teammates are always there to bring me back, to uplift me, and they pushed me through to get buckets in the second half like I did.”
It was a demoralizing loss for an SHC team that looked ready to take the WCAL by storm after a subpar 2021-22 season. Led by Fedrick Pernell and Zamaury Erfe, the Irish started off strong. While they were never able to take the lead after the opening minutes, they kept within striking distance in the first half, entering the locker room down 36-30 at the half.
The beginning of the second half was an entirely different story. The hustle, athleticism, and speed that defines this SHC basketball team was nowhere to be found, allowing the Wildcats to secure turnovers and second chance points.
“We just got outhustled,” said Irish coach Caesar Smith. “We stopped rebounding. Once you give a team two or three chances at the basket, they’re going to take advantage. In those moments St. Ignatius wanted it more, and they took advantage of their opportunities.”
Many made big plays for the ‘Cats, but star on the night was none other than Whitley. He was unfazed by the clamoring student sections on both sides, powering his way to 18 points and 10 boards. The Irish had no answer for Whitley, as he caused chaos by the rim on both sides, grinding his way through contested layups, climbing above the rest to tip rebounds, and creating second chance opportunities.
The Fightin’ Irish will look to bounce back during a daunting trip to play defending WCAL champions Archbishop Mitty, while the Wildcats will look to continue their form as they host St. Francis on Friday night. The Bruce Mahoney series will continue on January 25, with the ‘Cats looking to clinch in the girls basketball leg of the historic rivalry.
