On the night of Jan. 14, the Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) boys basketball team took on Bishop Diego High School (Bishop Diego). After trading blows for the first two quarters, Bishop Diego gradually pulled away from Foothill Tech, and the whistle blew to confirm a 45-56 loss.
The Dragons started strong, winning the tip-off and scoring the first points of the game after Ashton Brown ‘26 knocked down a mid-range jumper under heavy pressure. Bishop Diego immediately responded, catching Foothill Tech off guard and evening the score at 2-2.
Foothill Tech and Bishop Diego continued to trade points, tying the game 8-8 with under three minutes left in the first quarter. After stealing the ball from Bishop Diego, Nick Turner ‘26 sprinted down the court on a fast break and went for a layup when a Bishop Diego defender fouled him from behind. Two made free throws later, the Dragons had their first lead of the game, 10-8.
Bishop Diego quickly answered, hitting a layup and a three‑pointer to take a 10-13 lead. After recovering possession, Zaiden Archuleta ‘26 was fouled on a layup and made one of his free throws to bring the score to 11-13 as the first quarter came to a close.
Bishop Diego began the second quarter with the ball, but immediate pressure and strong defense by the Dragons forced a jump ball, and gave Foothill Tech possession. A pass from Brown to Erik Hernandez ‘26 set Hernandez up for a clean jump shot that tied the game at 13.
A series of fouls by the Dragons’ defense allowed Bishop Diego to capitalize on four free throws and take a 13-17 lead.
Foothill Tech rallied with five minutes left in the half. Archuleta put up six points in two minutes to recapture the lead 19-17, but Bishop Diego answered with a run of their own to make the score 21-26. As the clock wound down, both teams traded points, closing out the first half with Bishop Diego ahead 26-30.
Coming out of halftime, Foothill Tech looked to regroup and retake momentum. Bishop Diego started the third quarter with the ball, but Turner quickly stole it and scored an uncontested layup to pull the Dragons within two.
Mistakes on defense cost the Dragons four quick points, prompting Foothill Tech to call a timeout. After play resumed, Sebastian Huovinen ‘27 made a three-pointer that gave the Dragons a spark, but Bishop Diego’s pressure continued to mount as the quarter progressed. As time expired with one quarter remaining, Foothill Tech trailed 38-45.
Entering the final eight minutes, the Dragons faced a seven‑point deficit. A fast break into the key by Elijah Spencer ‘26 and a made free throw brought Foothill Tech within four points of Bishop Diego.
Bishop Diego countered with two quick jump shots to extend the lead to 41-49. A three‑point attempt by Hernandez narrowly missed, and Bishop Diego secured the rebound and scored in transition, pushing the lead to ten with under four minutes to play.
The Dragons grew increasingly desperate, but the buzzer sounded to seal a 45-56 loss.
Coach Brown said, “We did not shoot the ball particularly well tonight…we are going to get back to practice and work on improving that [further into the season], but we fought hard…we had a lot of grit today, there was a lot of contact out there tonight, and I think the referees let them play hard.”
Huovinen said, “We played as tough as we could, we just did not come away with the win tonight…Nick [Turner] got his thousandth point today, which is really cool, definitely one of the best games he has played all season.”
The Foothill Tech boys basketball team will play again on Jan. 16 against St. Bonaventure High School (Bonnie) at Ventura College.
