Squaring off against counterparts Churchill and Paint Branch, the Wildcats struggled to find their rhythm, walking away from these games with two losses.

Starting against Churchill on Friday, Jan. 12, the Cats jumped out to a quick 11-0 lead not even six minutes into the game. Following a much-needed timeout by Churchill, the Bulldogs regrouped and scored 11 of their own with no answer from the Cats’ defense.

This matchup was full of quick and well-executed scoring runs from both sides. This trend continued early in the second quarter with a ten-point surge for WJ highlighted by center Ian Hochman, converting two deep three-pointers.

Throughout the first half, the Wildcats’ defense frustrated the Bulldogs, creating turnovers, blocking shots and rebounding efficiently. This first-half defensive masterclass from the Cats allowed them to keep a small lead heading into the half; with the score standing at 23-16.

The back-and-forth play from both sides proceeded to a 30-30 game. Senior Ben Kim had an impressive play, as he split through defenders and put up a falling shot which went in for an and-one.

Despite the game slowly falling out of reach for the Cats, trailing 39-34 heading into the 4th quarter, Hochman continued to impress. Converting multiple jumpers, beating players out for offensive rebounds, along with a spin layup and one play, in an effort to keep WJ in the game.

¨My teammates have trust in me and are able to put me in good positions to score well and get good shots for our team,¨ Hochman said.

Hochman’s efforts down the stretch were not enough to collect a win for the Wildcats as the score ended 54-49 Churchill.

¨Once again, our shooting was ice cold and we had a long stretch in the second half where we didn’t score. We rallied in the fourth quarter but came up short,¨ head coach Kevin Parish said.

Against Paint Branch on Monday, Jan. 22, WJ could not get anything going on the offensive or defensive end of the court after the first 12 minutes. As the game continued into the second quarter, the Cats lost any rhythm they had created in the first quarter, allowing Paint Branch to go on a 17-6 run.

The defense was unable to find a way to stop this high-motor Paint Branch offense as the Cats were late on switches and defensive rebounds and seemed off their mark completely defensively with Paint Branch establishing a quick style of play.

¨We weren’t prepared for their offense and were outmatched physically,” junior guard Jordan Silverstein said.

The score being 36-23 in favor of Paint Branch at the break was a tough mountain for this Wildcat team to overcome. Disorganized turnovers and inefficient defense propelled this team’s deficit.

¨We seemed to be out of rhythm as we also had 20 turnovers. Paint Branch is a very good team and we struggled to stop them from scoring. They shot the ball really well and also outrebounded us by a significant margin,¨ Parrish said.

Paint Branch controlled and maintained their tempo throughout the second half, making it tough for the Wildcats to be anything but perfect in their play.

Following multiple Paint Branch scoring runs, WJ was effectively out of reach by the third quarter as they trailed 57-34, a frustrating all-around game for the Cats.

“Right now, we need to work on being more consistent on both ends of the floor. Even when our shooting isn’t there, we have to be able to play good defense and keep the game close until the shots start going in,¨ Parrish said.