The Knights (3-8) faced a devastating 45-44 loss in their rematch against the Jesuit Tigers (12-3) at home on Friday, Dec. 12.

The Knights outscored the Tigers in the first quarter 10-9. They were familiar with the Tiger’s 2-3-zone defense, giving them the chance to attack the lane and draw fouls.

The second quarter was more of a scramble for the Knights. The Tigers introduced a brief full-court press which was converted to a steal and a three pointer to shift the momentum in the game. The defensive pressure and solid perimeter shooting for the Tigers led to frantic offensive possessions for the Knights. The Knights closed the first half trailing 25-17.

“Coach was telling us [in the locker room] how everyone looked down on us,” freshman guard Brayden Cook said. “We are the underdogs so we wanted to play our hardest and beat them.”

With that, the Knights came out to turn the game around. They held the Tigers to only four points in the third quarter with their lock down man-to-man defense. The Tigers had back-to-back offensive fouls to give the Knights hope as they trailed 29-24.

Point guard John Garrett (’18) capitalized on the well played quarter with a buzzer-beater three pointer.

Garrett entered the fourth quarter the same way, knocking down a three pointer on the first possession to get the crowd on their feet.

“Our crowd was energized with us,” David Jean-Louis (’18) said. “By cheering us on, chanting the ‘defense’ chant, getting in the players’ heads a little bit… they helped out.”

The adrenaline kicked in for everyone in attendance, especially the players. A defensive stop from the Knights was converted to a layup and a foul for Cameron Lockridge (’19) to tie the game up at 39.

But the Knights returned the favor by continuously fouling and sending the Tigers to the line late in the fourth quarter. The Tigers made their free throws count, shooting 67% for the night while the Knights only shot 52%.

A two point buzzer-beater from Garrett ended the game for the Knights 45-44. And for the first time since half time, the crowd was silent.

“We learned that we can beat those guys,” Jean-Louis said. “And whenever we play them, we got our school behind our back with us too.”

The Knights will face Middleton (0-10) on Tuesday, Jan. 16 at Middleton High School (4801 N. 22nd St.33610).