Renaissance Academy tired of being second best

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How does that saying go, always the bridesmaid, never the bride? Though no one will ever admit to as much, I’ve got a funny feeling there’s several members of the Renaissance Academy boys’ basketball program that can relate to that analogy considering the team’s struggles during the postseason over the last couple of years.

The Wildcats, after all, have lost in the finals of the Southern Section playoffs three consecutive times. An opportunity to reverse the troublesome trend awaits, however. Renaissance Academy received the top seeding in the Division III-A playoffs and begins a quest for redemption Friday against the Sultana/La Quinta winner in a second-round game.

‘Yeah, I guess you can say that we’ve had some tough losses,’’ senior Justin Cook said. ‘The past is the past, though. This is a new year. We have a new attitude. We can’t worry about what people say. Everyone talks, it’s part of the game, you know. . . . The criticism doesn’t really bother us. We’re just focused on getting that ring.’’

Fair enough. But there’s several teams, Corona del Mar in particular, standing between Cook and his trip to the jeweler. The Sea Kings defeated the Wildcats in the title game a season ago and a meeting in the semifinals this time around is a possibility. Beyond that, Cathedral City or Perris could be the final test, the last hurdle in the chase for that elusive championship.

-- Sean Ceglinsky