Trinity boys’ basketball tops rival SCCS in backandforth thriller
Jan 23, 2025
The rivalry between the Trinity Classical Academy and Santa Clarita Christian boys’ basketball teams is alive and well based on Tuesday’s matchup at SCCS.
Buoyed by their home crowd letting the Trinity players know whenever things went the way of SCCS, the Cardinals fed off that to remain out in front for most of the contest.
But the Knights stayed the course, and freshman Cash Mitchell hit the go-ahead layup with a minute to go as Trinity walked away with a 54-52 victory and a season sweep.
“They came to play tonight,” said Trinity (16-6, 8-4) head coach Daniel Hebert. “This crowd, this gym, it’s always a tough atmosphere. So good for them on that, and they brought it tonight. And I’m just proud of our guys for battling through the adversity, coming back down, I think, eight in the fourth quarter. And it’s not our first time doing that.”
SCCS’ Dax Woodward (22) dribbles the ball against Trinity during the first quarter of Tuesday’s game at Santa Clarita Christian School on Jan. 21, 2025. Habeba Mostafa/ The Signal
SCCS (11-8, 6-5) junior Caleb Shaffer put the Cardinals up by eight early in the fourth quarter only to see the Knights slowly but surely chip away.
With three minutes to go in the fourth, Trinity senior Cy Mitchell hit a layup to put the Knights out in front for the first time since the middle of the third quarter. Cardinals senior Nathan Broyles answered that with a layup of his own, only for the younger Mitchell to hit the game-winning bucket.
“It was really our guys figuring out how the game was going and seeing how we can do it together, and that’s what we started saying in our huddle, is ‘together,’” Hebert said.
Trinity senior Noah Phillips led all scorers with 19 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Cy Mitchell had 18 points, 10 rebounds and three assists.
SCCS’ Evan Oak (7) dribbles the ball against Trinity during the first quarter of Tuesday’s game at Santa Clarita Christian School on Jan. 21, 2025. Habeba Mostafa/ The Signal
SCCS head coach Dan Broyles said his team did a good job of holding the Knights’ two leading scorers at bay for most of the game. He credited his son, Nathan, for handling the elder Mitchell about as well as he could have hoped for, keeping him scoreless until midway through the second quarter.
“Cy is a great player, but I thought Nolan did a great job, trying to do the best he can, playing a really good player, and I thought his defensive was great,” coach Broyles said.
The Cardinals were led by senior Marcus May’s 16 points and seven rebounds, while Shaffer had 13 points and 11 rebounds. The younger Broyles added nine points and two assists, and freshman Ethan Ok had nine points.
Trinity guard Cash Mitchell (23) passes the ball against SCCS during the second quarter of Tuesday’s game at Santa Clarita Christian School on Jan. 21, 2025. Habeba Mostafa/ The Signal
Coach Broyles said his team was missing its best outside shooter in senior Evan Ok, who picked up an ankle injury recently, but that the Cardinals did well to cover for his absence.
“Obviously there’s no excuses, but for them to come out like that and play that hard, and even though they’re down one of their guys and still play that hard, it’s just great,” coach Broyles said.
Trinity’s win put the Knights in third place in the Heritage League heading into Thursday’s games, though their eight wins are second-most behind Vasquez’s nine. Faith Baptist is in second place with seven wins, but with only nine games played entering Thursday.
Trinity guard Noah Phillips (11) goes up for a shot against SCCS during the second quarter of Tuesday’s game at Santa Clarita Christian School on Jan. 21, 2025. Habeba Mostafa/ The Signal
All athletics were canceled Thursday for Trinity due to the Hughes Fire that broke out Wednesday in Castaic, meaning the Knights’ scheduled road matchup at Desert Christian needs to be rescheduled. Trinity is set to retake the floor Friday at home against Faith Baptist.
The Cardinals were set to travel to Faith Baptist on Thursday, seeking to rise from fifth place in the league entering Thursday’s contests.
“There’s a lot of teams that have like four or five losses in our league, and we’ve kind of all beat each other,” coach Broyles said. “So, just looking forward to more good games, and I know if we play this hard, we’ll be in almost every game.”
SCCS’ Caleb Shaffer (2) goes up for a layup during the first quarter of Tuesday’s game against Trinity at Santa Clarita Christian School on Jan. 21, 2025. Habeba Mostafa/ The Signal
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