Central Catholic seniors were team leaders, best friends during Rams’ run to boys basketball title

Tony Angelo, Miles Berry, Andrew Colner and Marley Zeller led the way as Central Catholic capped storybook season by beating Roosevelt for OSAA 6A crown

Author:
Dan Brood
Publish date:
Mar 20, 2024 3:58 PM EDT

They’re the leaders.

They’re the veterans.

Now, along with their teammates, they’re the champions.

And they’re pretty darn happy about it.

The group of seniors on the Central Catholic boys basketball team — Tony Angelo, Miles Berry, Andrew Colner and Marley Zeller — played their final game together, and it couldn’t have gone any better. The four seniors ended their high school career as champions, as they helped lead the way for the Rams in their 85-76 win over Roosevelt in a hotly contested Class 6A state title game played in front of a large, loud crowd at the University of Portland’s Chiles Center.

“I love those guys,” a jovial Angelo said during the Rams’ victory celebration on the Chiles Center court. “I’ve been playing with them for three years now. So, going out with a bang like this with them is huge.”

And no doubt about it, the Central Catholic seniors did their part, starting years ago, in leading the Rams to the state championship.

“We’re not here without our seniors and the culture that they helped us set through COVID and what we’ve gone through as a country and as a community the past four years,” Central Catholic head coach David Blue said.

The seniors’ journey with the Rams began a few years ago, as did their friendship.

“Me, Tony and Marley have pretty much been best friends the past four years,” Berry said. “We’ve been playing basketball together the whole time. Outside of basketball, it’s just been fun growing up together.”

They were all freshmen during the 2021 season, which was a shortened, revised campaign because of the COVID-19 pandemic. That year, Angelo and Berry were on the Central Catholic junior varsity roster, Colner was on the Rams’ freshman team, and Zeller played at Catlin Gabel.

As sophomores, they were all together at Central Catholic. Angelo, Berry and Zeller were on the varsity roster, and Colner played at the JV level. The Rams went 22-5 that season, falling one win short of reaching the Class 6A state tournament, as they lost 58-49 at home against Mountainside in a second-round game.

The following season, Angelo, Berry, Colner and Zeller played for the Central Catholic varsity. That Rams squad went 15-13 but peaked at the right time, getting a 56-33 second-round playoff win over Nelson to earn a spot in the Class 6A state tournament.

At the tournament, their title hopes were quickly dashed when the Rams were edged 49-45 by top-seeded West Linn in a quarterfinal contest.

It was at that moment that the current seniors started looking ahead to the 2023-24 season.

“Last year, all of us played against West Linn, and we lost,” Berry said. “We all kind of talked after that game, and we said, ‘Next year, we’re going to win it.’”

The goal was set, and with the seniors helping lead the way, it was achieved.

This season, Central Catholic seemed to be on a mission from the start. The Rams went 22-3 in the regular season, with all three losses coming against out-of-state teams. They went 14-0 in Mt. Hood Conference play to claim the conference crown.

Central Catholic opened the postseason with an 84-56 win over North Medford, followed by a 63-49 victory against Mountainside, putting the Rams in the Class 6A state tournament for the second consecutive season.

This time, Central Catholic wouldn’t see its title hopes dashed.

The Rams opened the tournament with a 59-33 quarterfinal win over Jesuit. In the semifinals, they downed two-time defending champion Tualatin 73-67 in a back-and-forth battle.

In the title tilt, Central Catholic, with a determined second-half effort, rallied from a 43-36 halftime deficit to get the nine-point victory — and the Rams’ first state championship since 1994.

“It was nice to see it all come together,” Berry said. “You always think about it happening, but it’s the first time for it happening for us. This was amazing.”

The 6-foot-5 Zeller, despite battling a knee injury in the title game, stepped up with 11 points, sinking two first-quarter 3-pointers. Angelo scored eight points, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the third quarter. Berry provided strong minutes off the bench, especially on defense, and Colner, getting action late in the game, went 2 for 2 from the free throw line.

“This means a lot. It was a perfect way to wrap up the year,” Berry said. “Throughout the year, we were talking about taking different steps. It was nice to take that last step and win it.”

Berry also got the honor of being the first member of the Central Catholic team to climb the ladder to cut down the net.

“It was amazing,” Berry said with a big smile. “Last year, I saw Tualatin do it. I couldn’t imagine that could be me. It was nice being up there and have it actually happen.”

Cutting down the net after a championship victory marked the transition from being sophomores looking for leadership to being the seniors providing the leadership and helping lead the way to a state title.

“One thing about the seniors, Miles, Tony, Marley and Andrew Colner, they said two years ago they needed leadership from the seniors that were there ahead of them,” Central Catholic assistant coach Shawn Malloy said. “And now they’ve come back and gave that to the young group of sophomores. They showed them something special. They showed what it’s like to be a leader and how to stick together like a family.”

“They meant everything,” Rams junior Isaac Carr said of the seniors. “They’re great leaders and great people to look up to. They’re a super huge part of our team.”

Even after cutting down the net and celebrating on the Chiles Center hardwood, the seniors’ leadership duties weren’t complete.

“Oh my gosh, they’re amazing. They just spoke (in the Central Catholic team room after the game) one by one about their experience here, sharing with the underclassmen about just how fast it goes,” Blue said with emotion in his voice. “They came in here and just trusted me, and this is the last time I get to coach this group. They’re special.”

A special group which got to experience a special senior season.

“We’ve all been playing together for a long time, and we’re like best friends,” Zeller said. “It feels great to do this with my friends and teammates. I’m friends with everyone on the team.”

“It’s huge, knowing that, for some of us, it’s our last competitive basketball game,” Angelo said. “And it’s our last time playing together. It’s really weird to think about that now, but knowing that we won together in the end is so special.”