Basketball (Boys) | 2/21/2025 1:30:00 PM

The following is an article in The San Diego Union-Tribune, "Cathedral Catholic holds off San Marcos in Open Division basketball playoff game."

SAN MARCOS — Patrick O'Brien calls himself a Swiss Army knife, a player who can score, rebound and pass.

Friday night, the Cathedral Catholic High School senior guard led the Dons with 20 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and had two key assists in the fourth quarter as Cathedral held off a late San Marcos run and edged the Knights 73-68 in a San Diego Section Open Division quarterfinal game.

Sixth-seeded Cathedral Catholic (20-9) advances to play No. 2 Carlsbad on Tuesday night in a semifinal game. Carlsbad beat Santa Fe Christian 71-64.

San Marcos beat the Dons 71-67 in overtime in a Dec. 27 tournament game that was tied at 58 at the end of regulation.

"I expected the same kind of game," O'Brien said. "But I was confident we could get them. We're a well-coached team. I think we're the better team."

Steven Evans-Glynn III, who threw up into a trash can near the Cathedral Catholic bench at least twice, finished with 17 points and seven rebounds.  "PJ" Paul Jourdain Jr added 13 points and point guard Max Meza finished with 12.

"San Marcos is a really good team," said Cathedral Catholic coach Graham Bousley. "They have a tough, young squad, kind of like us last year, Our young guys are seniors this year and we have some really good senior leaders.

"We prepared very well for this game."

Junior Jalen Williams led San Marcos with 24 points, hitting a trio of 3-point shots in the fourth quarter.

Richie Ramirez, a sophomore, added 15. And Mike Brown, a junior big man, had nine points, 10 rebounds and blocked a pair of shots.

San Marcos led 25-23 at the end of the first quarter, but Cathedral Catholic outscored the Knights 20-15 in the second quarter and led 43-40 at the break. The Dons led by six early in the second quarter — the biggest lead by either team in the half — only to see San Marcos rally.

The score was tied 11 times in the first 16 minutes and the lead changed hands 17 times.

San Marcos (25-4) had lost just three games this season, falling to Montgomery, the No. 1-ranked team in San Diego, Stockton Lincoln, the No. 9 team in the state, and Santa Ana Mater Dei, ranked No. 27 in the state.