Bleachers were filled with fans diametrically opposed, ready to cheer for their teams. Coming off of a loss to St. Brendan, the Cavaliers looked to bounce back against their historic rival, the South Miami Cobras, on Tuesday, Jan. 25.

The varsity rosters came out onto the court following a junior varsity double-overtime thriller that saw the Cavaliers beat the Cobras. Varsity warmed up to intense, bass-boosted rap music, only adding more anticipation to an already bouncing gymnasium.

At around 8:00 p.m., starting lineups were announced and teams were ready for tipoff; with a buzzing crowd and a roaring cheerleader squad, the stage was set for an exciting match.

The Cavaliers got off to an early eighteen to eleven lead following two big and-ones from senior forward Romulo Delgado-Gonzalez. Momentum carried the Cavaliers into the second quarter.

Delgado-Gonzalez was congratulated for scoring his 1,000th point as a Cavalier during the first quarter. Delgado-Gonzalez, a four-year varsity starter, was emotional during the celebratory moment but stayed sharp as he refocused for the rest of the game.

In the second quarter, the Cavaliers’ offense went stagnant and the Cobras caught up. With around three minutes left in the quarter, the Cobras held a thirty-one to twenty-eight lead. Senior Danny Gonzalez made back-to-back three-pointers to get the Cavaliers back in the game. The two threes sparked a fire in the crowd, blaring chants of “De-fense!” repeated by fans to close out the first half.

“The crowd was crazy, it was my first game this year and I didn’t really expect the crowd to be this lit. Everything about the game, the cheerleaders, the players, the fans made for a crazy experience,” senior Justin Pujol said.

The first half closed out with the Cavaliers holding a thirty-four to thirty-one lead into the second half. During halftime, the Cavaliers put an emphasis on beating the full-court press and running their half-court sets.

In the second half, the Cavaliers relied on their senior veterans Gonzalez and Delgado-Gonzalez, scoring a combined 25 points in the first half.

The Cavaliers went on an eight to zero scoring run to open the second half. The Cobras were not rattled though, they responded with their own run, tying the game at 52 points.

The game got a little chippy as a South Miami player was given a technical foul for unsportsmanlike conduct. Fans exchanged their bits of trash talk and the game continued into the fourth quarter.

The full-court press was giving the Cavaliers little to no trouble as they were well prepared to beat the press. Once the Cavaliers pushed the ball past the half-court, they leaned on screens and got open looks in the paint.

The game was close until the final moments of the game, when Gonzalez hit two free throws to ice the game, giving the Cavaliers a sixty-one to fifty-five victory.

“I’m glad we were able to pull through as a team and come out with a victory. One game at a time, we’re going to continue playing our best,” senior Danny Gonzalez said.

The Cavaliers now stand at a nine to seven record, looking to make a playoff push towards the end of their regular season. Their next game will be against the Sunset Knights on Monday, Jan. 31.