SHC boys basketball team took to the court to play their annual Bruce Mahoney game against the Saint Ignatius Wildcats. This year, the location got a significant upgrade, with San Francisco's Chase Center hosting the festivities.
It was a spectacular scene inside the Golden State Warriors' home arena. Most of the lower bowl was filled with students, alumni, fans, and even the mayor of San Francisco stopped by for the first half.
The best-of-five Bruce Mahoney series considers five sports: football, girls volleyball, girls basketball, boys basketball and baseball. The winner of three takes possession of the trophy named after Bill Bruce (1935 St. Ignatius graduate) and Jerry Mahoney (Sacred Heart, 1944), who were killed in World War II.
Saint Ignatius had already secured wins in football and girls volleyball, making one win at Chase Center all they needed to take home the hardware.
The boys' game got going with
Kiran Tate-Day '27 opening the scoring with a nifty basket inside the paint before turnovers got the better of the Irish and gave Saint Ignatius some easy fast break points. The Wildcats ended the first quarter with a 14-8 lead after a physical opening period.
Michael Sargent '26, SHC football's starting quarterback, came into the game and immediately hit a 3-pointer to pull the Irish to within eight. More turnovers lead to a 7-0 run for the Wildcats. The Irish made a run toward the end of the half, capping off a frenetically played second quarter with a Tate-Day hit a buzzer-beater. The basket pulled the Irish back into the game, only down 35-24 heading into halftime.
The second half began with a few nice offensive possessions for the Irish, including some impressive shots from
Trey Carey '27. The second quarter slowed down, but so did the SHC offense, as turnovers and SI's suffocating defense took over the game. The third quarter ended with Saint Ignatius in front, 60-32. Both teams emptied their benches early in the fourth quarter after the game got out of hand, offering several players the experience of a lifetime: the chance play on an NBA floor.
