The early part of March featured the annual Diocesan CYO grade school basketball championships, with St. Teresa of Calcutta School in Adams County winning the girls’ championship with a 30-27 win over Seven Sorrows BVM School in Middletown. In the boys’ draw, the Jets of Holy Name of Jesus in Harrisburg fell 51-34 to St. Theresa in New Cumberland. The winners moved on to the state CYO championships, which for the boys was played March 18-20 at Holy Redeemer High School in Wilkes-Barre, hosted by the Diocese of Scranton. In the state tournament, St. Theresa’s boys’ team fell in the semi-finals to Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, 57-48. St. Theresa, which has one five Diocesan titles since 2010, played for third place in the state tournament on March 20.
The girls’ state championship was hosted by the Diocese of Harrisburg at St. Joan of Arc School in Hummelstown on March 11-13. Representing the Diocese were the Crusaders from St. Teresa of Calcutta School, who placed fourth in the state tournament. The Seven Sorrows Eagles were also invited to the tournament after the diocesan representative from Greensburg was unable to participate. The Eagles finished seventh in the tournament.
The girls’ state championship game featured an action-packed contest between the Lady Crusaders of Holy Trinity Church from Johnstown and the Spartans of St. Anastasia Church of Newtown Square, representing the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The Spartans scored the last six points of the game in the final minute to edge Holy Trinity, 36-34. The lead changed hands 12 times during the game and the Lady Crusaders had an open three-point look late in the contest to seal the win, but St. Anastasia converted that missed shot to score the deciding points on their final possession by hitting two clutch and crucial free-throws to win the state championship in front of a frenzied crowd of more than 500 fans.
(Photos by Chris Heisey, The Catholic Witness.)
By Chris Heisey, The Catholic Witness
