With some late heroics in regulation, the Archbishop Williams boys’ basketball team downed 18th-ranked Cathedral in an overtime thriller Thursday night.
The constantly fluctuating Catholic Central League contest was tight every step of the way, but clutch plays ultimately led the Bishops to a 67-65 victory.
“We had some timely shots, some timely turnovers that we turned into transition makes, and some timely rebounds,” said Archbishop Williams coach Brian Holden. “Luckily, it ended up going our way.”
Archbishop Williams (7-2, 3-1 CC) trailed 53-50 with just a few ticks left to play when sophomore point guard Jadon Beatty (15 points) drew a double-team off a screen set by senior forward Luke Deftos (11 points).
Beatty swung the ball to Deftos, who had leaked to the top of hte key. Deftos faked a pass to his left and drilled a game-tying 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds remaining in regulation.
LUKE DEFTOS. Jadon Beatty finds him off the double and Deftos drills the game-tying three from the top of the key and the place erupts.
— Cam Pellegrino (@cam_pellegrino) January 16, 2026
Archbishop Williams 53, Cathedral 53
We’re headed to overtime. pic.twitter.com/H87IfDWjiL
Deftos followed that shot with yet another triple at the outset of overtime, before promptly fouling out of the game.
Beatty stepped up in his absence, icing the game with a 3-pointer of his own, a few free throws, and a no-look assist to senior Dante Quintos under the basket. Junior Jack Olinto scored a team-high 16 points.
A multitude of spirited comeback attempts for the host Panthers (5-3, 3-1 CC) fell just short, as costly turnovers and fouls got the best of them.
By adopting a college mentality, Cathedral boys’ basketball looks to emerge from girls’ shadow
The Bishops avenged a 60-56 home loss in the first leg of this matchup on Jan. 6.
“I think our intensity on defense was a lot better this time,” Holden said. “They came out and jumped on us from the get-go last game, I don’t think we were ready for it. We watched a lot of film and I think we were more ready to go, we played with more intensity.”
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