Girls Basketball Wins 3rd Championship in a Row

Last week, the girls varsity basketball defeated St. Ignatius 27-22 in the AIPSL final. With a tenacious press and crisp offense, the Cougars jumped out to an early lead and held on to win. They were also supported by a substantial crowd of students, parents, faculty, and staff who cheered them on to victory. This is the third consecutive year that the Cathedral girls basketball team has won the league. The past two years the team had gone undefeated in league play. “The girls came into the season wanting to win the championship, but they knew they needed to grow as a team,” Coach Altdorf said. They worked hard in practice, focusing on three keys: their press, 2/3 zone, and rebounding. Once the team bought in, they became a defensive force—in more than a few games the opposing team had zero or two points at halftime. Two tough losses during the regular season did little to deter them. “It was actually good losing games this year because the pressure to keep winning wasn’t there. We were really focused in the playoffs, and we weren’t afraid of making mistakes,” said Coach Oswald. Thanks to the Ewing family filming all the games, the girls were able to review the tape from one of their losses and learn from their mistakes, which only spurred them to work harder. “Every year, we have great leaders who rally the other girls and improve the team as a whole,” Coach Altdorf said. Their mettle paid off for the third year in a row.