Walking through the Gil Asa Gym doors, people began to fill up the student section while parents arrived with gifts, all dressed formally to prepare for the photo that captures their childs’ last moment on the court.
On April 25, 2024, Coach Gardner introduced who the seniors were of the 2024 season: Bryson Wakeman (#20), Wade Willis (#10), Jordan Prowse (#1), Bennett Reed (#13), Maxwell Berry (#7), and Owen Winstead (#2). In their previous match against the Morro Bay Pirates, they were defeated 0-3; eagerly, the players warmed up, wanting to show their opponents how they’ve improved throughout the season.
“I think the biggest highlight was the energy that was going through the court and just being in that environment and playing at 100% freedom and fun,” Wakeman said.
In the first set, the team was put into an out of rotation play and was able to recover by a great dig by Prowse (#1), followed by a backrow set by Berry (#7) to Daughtery (#4) and was able to put away the ball and score a point against Morro Bay. This created a highlight moment for the team resulting in an uproar of cheers from the crowd. From that moment on, the gym was filled with excitement for the Bearcats as they continued to crush the Pirates ending with a score of 25-18 in the first set. The Bearcats easily finished the second set with a nine point gap on the scoreboard (25-16). After winning the first two sets of the night, Morro Bay knew they had to step up their game. Keeping the rallies close and the points passing the 25 cap mark, Paso wins the match set at 27-25, making the night memorable and exciting for the families and friends.
The team went 10-15 overall in their league season and ended their night by placing 4th in Division 3 for CIF. Their first CIF game is being held at Gil Asa Gym on Tuesday April 30, 2024 against Wonderful Company Delano.
