Liam Barrett is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Seton Catholic Prep for AZPreps365.com

A shortened season full of adversity has come to a close for Seton Catholic, who finished 1-14 following another loss Thursday night.

Mesquite, celebrating senior night, comfortably defeated Seton Catholic 63-36. Seton’s ongoing issues throughout the season were on full display, getting beat in almost all aspects of the game. 

Out-hustled, outplayed, out-matched. Seton Catholic struggled this season on offense in the half-court. Mesquite exposed this through the use of traps and intense defense. The team seemed to lose composure in the half-court when the defenders pressed up, causing turnovers and bad shots.

Mesquite had no trouble running ts sets and setting the tempo in this game. The home team came out with an energy that was maintained through the end.  

“As a team, we need to work on executing better. Personally, I just need to get back in the gym,” Seton Catholic junior Jackson Adlhoch said. 

By the end of the first half, Mesquite was already up by more than 20. As the second half progressed, the lead continued to grow to the home crowd's enjoyment in a gym filled with friends and family. Nothing seemed to go right for Seton, and it was clear they were overmatched the whole game.

It’s a disappointing end to a disappointing season, but the team will now look forward to a fresh start. Seton has a bright future, and it's up to the coaches and players now to work toward getting there. 

“A positive was individual growth. We don't have a lot of experience currently, so this year was about building that experience,” first-year head coach Raymond Patche said.

Though this season is one the team would like to move on from, it allowed for a young core group of guys to continuously get important minutes as they develop as varsity athletes. A bad year does not mean a bad program, but it does mean improvement is a must in the offseason. 

“We’re going to work on getting stronger. Our experience and IQ have improved, so now it’s about building better athletes,” Patche said. 

The team looked about as happy as you’d expect at the end of a lone win season. Crossed arms on the bench and lumbering movements on the court, Seton looked defeated long before the final buzzer. For the seniors, this isn’t the farewell game they would’ve liked but the team was able to form a family, even during such a hard year.

“Before the season we were all acquaintances I guess, but now we're like a big family and have each other to lean on,” Adlhoch said. 

For the seniors, the friendships and bonds formed in this last year almost make up for the bad season. It’s not often when a team can grow so close together despite going through all the obstacles and setbacks this year. 

“We had a good time even though we didn't have the best season. It was difficult but we came together as a family,” senior Andrew Scranton said.

Patche has created a family environment that has led to players wanting to give their all. To command such respect from his players despite a losing season says much about the character of the first-year head coach. The players have his back and Patche has made it clear he has theirs. 

“It was great,” Scranton said. “I loved him as a coach and he really cared for us. I hope next year he gets more wins.”

“It was our first season with the new head coach," Adlhoch said, "and I think we have a lot to build on. It was like we were all rookies this year and it's hard to go into a season with 12 rookies."

The future is bright for a program with a majority returning team and energetic coaching staff. 

“I think they're gonna be a threat next year with 12 seniors coming in. It’ll be good,” Scranton said.