As the basketball season just begins, the Eagles have already had their first sweet taste of victory. The SMCHS boys basketball team won the Christian Cup after beating Saint Mary’s High School, the No. 2 team in Arizona, 75-55 in the championship game.

The varsity team packed into a van after school on Dec. 1 to make the six-hour drive to Phoenix, Ariz. The tournament took place on Dec. 2-5 and the boys headed back home that Sunday.

“The guys really enjoyed that we were able to go away as a team and bond, travel and learn more about each other,” said head coach Jeff Reinert. “We were in a hotel for four nights and had study halls and meals together. It was just a chance to get away and have it be all about basketball. We had a blast.”

The boys had played Saint Mary’s in a seeding game on Wednesday and had beaten them by 21 points. Both teams went on to win the rest of their games and met again for the championship. By then, SMCHS was seeded first and Saint Mary’s second.

“We were up the whole game by a good amount, so we felt pretty confident,” Reinert said. “When we won, it wasn’t like we were cheering and going crazy because we knew in the first half that we were going to win. It wasn’t jubilation by any means.”

The most challenging game, instead, proved to be the semifinal game against Gilbert Christian High School, which had a player committed to the University of Kansas, one of the best basketball schools in the nation.

“We were up by around 15 at halftime and then they cut it to as close as 1-2 with a minute left,” said team captain Noah Rasheed. “In Arizona, there’s no shot clock so we were just holding the ball for as long as possible. They ended up fouling us, but then I hit four free throws and we ended up winning by six.”

Team captain Colin Ferrier says the next target for the team is to win the MaxPreps Holiday Classic in Palm Springs on Dec. 26-30. Since it’s a national tournament, competition will be tough and SMCHS will have the chance to play Chino Hills High School, the No. 1 team in the state.

The team’s top goal for the season, however, would be to win Trinity League. Mater Dei High School has been the only team yet to win the championship title.

“We have more returning players than we’ve had in the past so we’ve got [more] depth in talent and our chances are better,” Reinert said. “We just have to believe that we can win. If we play hard and play together then good things can happen.”

Reinert hints at plans to use the video boards and productions in the gym this season and he believes that the Eagles’ Nest “will really like this team.”

“[The boys] get really excited when the students are there — they get totally jazzed,” Reinert said. “It’s going to be a very fun time for the Eagles’ Nest this year.”