The Wolverines fell to the Bosco Braves at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion on Nov. 22. Both teams went into the matchup with 1-0 records this season, and the last time the two played, the Wolverines won 70-55. Each school holds a recent state title: St. John Bosco won the 2024 Division 1 title while the Wolverines won the Open Division title that same year.
The first quarter started out with an even performance from both teams, ending with the Wolverines up 13-12. By the half, the Wolverines were able to hold their lead, ending the first half with a lead of 30-22.
As the second half started, the Braves began to shift the dynamic of the game, with 36 points scored by five-star recruit Christian Collins ’26. The senior guard assisted his team in taking a lead on offense with the help of teammate forward Max Ellis ’26. The two contributed numerous free throws, three-point shots and jump shots to the game which heavily contributed to the 20 points gained by the Braves in the third quarter. Although the Wolverines were starting to lose their lead, both Cole Holden ’27 and University of Texas commit senior Joe Sterling ’26 made three-point shots to keep the Wolverines in the game.
In the last quarter, the Wolverines started to close the point gap between themselves and the Braves. Holden ’27 completed a three-point play to achieve a 47-50 score with the Braves still leading. Forward Dom Bentho ’26 put up a layup to further close the gap to 49-50. Shortly thereafter,Holden ’27 finished one more three-point play, leaving him with 18 points and six rebounds and the title of Player of the Game for the Wolverines. This made the score 52-55 with the Wolverines still trailing behind the Braves.
Senior guard Amir Jones ’26 was fouled while shooting a corner three-pointer and made all three foul shots. This play got the Wolverines even closer to victory with a 54-55 score, with the Braves still leading. In the last five seconds of the game, Bosco player Gavin Dean Moss ’26 was fouled, giving him two shots. The senior guard only made one foul shot, giving his team a two-point lead over the Wolverines. Joe Sterling ’26 made a final attempt to win the game by a rushed three-point shot as the clock ran out. The three-pointer was missed and the game ended with a 57-55 win for the Bosco Braves.
