The Juan Diego Catholic High School boys basketball team capped an 18-6 season with its first Region 4 title, two years in to playing in the 5A ranks. The Soaring Eagle squad won all 12 region games by an average of 18 points and with only three winning margins in the single digits.

“We have been fortunate to win a lot of region championships, however, this one did feel special,” head coach Drew Trost said. “I think it was the fact that it was in 5A and that we went undefeated. Playing every team twice is a grind and our guys really stepped up to that challenge each night. I was so proud of their resilience. There were nights where our shots were not falling and the opposing crowds were loud, but our guys just kept working hard and were able to pull out some gritty wins. It speaks a lot to our character as a team and to the great leadership of our seniors.”

In the 5A state playoffs, after a first-round bye, No. 8 Juan Diego lost to ninth-seeded Brighton 69-60. The game was tight for the first three quarters until the Bengals pulled away late in the fourth quarter. Senior Stockton Young led the team with 21 points while senior Jake Wyatt added 15 and senior Luke Meyer
had 11.

“The last loss always leaves a pit in your stomach.” Trost said. “This was just a special team and it breaks my heart that 5A happened to have so much talent this year. The top 10 teams in 5A were just all so tough and anyone could beat anyone. We ended with the eight seed which is so tough because you play the nine seed who is always another very good team. We played well but couldn’t quite pull it out.”

Meyer, the Region 4 Most Valuable Player, had 18 points and 11 rebounds per game, leading the team this season. His 499 career rebounds tops the history books for the school. Young, who earned First Team All-Region honors, averaged 13 and senior Hunter Chamberlain was also named to the First Team All-Region team. All three will be playing in college next fall. Wyatt also received All-Region Third Team and All-Defensive Team honors.

“It was great to see them getting these well-deserved accolades,” Trost said. “All four of them have worked incredibly hard throughout their careers here at JD. Luke and Stockton were fantastic all year. We also had some new guys step in and play major roles like [junior] Trey [Nicolodemos], [junior] Deng [Deng] and [sophomore] Evan [Colarusso]. This group really played well together and put the team first. They were a joy to coach!”

Also on the 2024-25 team were seniors Deniz Akbas and Lucas Mouawad; juniors Garang Deng, Chris Jimerson, Nicolas Salgado and Kingston Taban; and sophomores Tony Barnard, Easton Putzke and Sam Vansice.

“Overall, I was very proud of this team and thought we had a great season,” Trost said. “Our seniors were strong leaders on and off the court and that contributed greatly to our success. These guys worked hard, improved a ton and I am confident they made memories that will last for a lifetime. They have been a joy to coach and we will definitely miss these seniors. The young guys stepped up too and showed that the future is bright here at JD.”

Girls

The JDCHS girls basketball team defeated Providence Hall 53-31 in the first round of the 3A state tournament Feb. 11 before losing to Canyon View 64-38
Feb. 14.

Junior Niella Sebit scored 21 points in the win against the Patriots and junior Ayen Kuath had 16 in the Soaring Eagle’s final game of the season against the
Falcons.

Sebit and Kuath led the team in scoring all season with 9 points per game while Kuath was the squad’s leading rebounder with five.

Also on the JDCHS team this season – coached by Ashlee McKray that went 10-15 overall – were seniors Gigi Garcia, Tea Gostevcic, Avie Hernandez, Fatima Hernandez and Sarah Scott; juniors Anavai Bouriau, Ellie Clark, Kaitlin Hulverson, Malena Modtland, Ellie Palmer, Oaklee Thomas, Leini Tui and Sienna Vonderohe; sophomores Olivia Fry, Marlee McKillip and Ava Tita; and freshman Riley Brown. λ