At one point in the second half, St. Mary's head coach Jeff Newhall dejectedly tossed his whiteboard to the floor. He later said he felt no play or scheme could get the Spartans back in the game against Catholic Central League rival. A comeback would rely on effort.
Somehow, the Spartans found that extra gear just in time. St. Mary's, ranked third in our Top 10, used a stunning 27-6 comeback to defeat fourth-ranked Cathedral at home, 46-43. Star sophomore Bella Owumi (13 points) took command during the surge and hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 9.3 seconds remaining.
"We learned a lot tonight about our toughness (and) our character," Newhall said. "It's one thing to come back from five down in the second half against a team that's not great. But they're a top-five team in the state."
Cathedral (7-3) had rattled St. Mary's (10-1) with its chaotic zone defenses. The Spartans opened freezing on their long-range attempts had had just three points after a quarter (12 at halftime). They trailed 37-19 before everything changed.
"I said, 'This doesn't matter. There's no plays, there's no nothing — you guys, right now, you're willing yourself to win. It's heart, it's fortitude, and those are things you've got to play with,'" Newhall said.
Here are five standouts from the wild matchup.
