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The Cardinal Hayes boys and St. Joseph by-the-Sea girls captured CHSAA state basketball championships with wins at Hofstra University in Hempstead.
Class AA boys’ city and state championship–DJ Victory collected 10 points and nine assists to earn the game’s most valuable player honors and lead Cardinal Hayes to a 79-59 victory over Archbishop Stepinac March 11.
The city and state championship are the first since 2017 for Cardinal Hayes, 26-3 overall, which received 24 points and 14 rebounds from Tobe Awaka and 20 points from Ian Jackson.
Cardinal Hayes, which avenged a loss to the Crusaders in the archdiocesan championship game, opened a 24-11 lead after one quarter and held a 52-39 advantage through three quarters before pulling away in the final quarter.
“It was a great season for our Hayesmen,” Cardinal Hayes coach Joe Lods told CNY. “We really came together as a team in the playoffs and we are proud of our seniors who are graduating.”
Samuel Gibbs paced Archbishop Stepinac with 21 points and five rebounds. Danny Carbuccia had 12 points, five assists and four rebounds. Boogie Fland scored nine points and grabbed five rebounds, and Joel Baez added eight points, eight rebounds and three assists.
The Crusaders, 26-4 overall, had their 14-game winning streak snapped.
Class A girls’ state championship–Five players scored in double figures in each game as St. Joseph by-the-Sea won the program’s first state championship with a 78-59 semifinal victory over Our Lady of Mercy of Syosset, L.I., at Christ the King in Queens on March 11 and a 73-25 state championship win over Holy Cross of Queens at Hofstra University on March 13.
“They probably saved their best for their last two games,” said St. Joseph by-the-Sea coach Josh Suslak. “They just really wanted that championship and it showed.”
Danielle Williamsen and Angelina Hodgens finished with 18 and 15 points, respectively, in the state final for St. Joseph by-the-Sea, 26-4 overall. Brooke Corbett scored 14 points, Mackenzie Iannici had 12 points, and Jamie Strahm contributed 11 points.
In the state semifinal, Miss Corbett and Miss Williamsen each scored 18 points, and Miss Strahm had 16 points. Miss Iannici and Miss Hodgens added 14 and 12 points, respectively.
“It was just a great year and run,” Suslak said. “It was a lot of hard work. We accomplished a lot and grew as a team.”
Class AA girls’ state championship–Heaven Harper scored 12 points, and Jada Leonard had 11 points for Msgr. Scanlan in a 59-42 loss to St. Mary’s of Manhasset, L.I., at Hofstra University March 13.
Msgr. Scanlan, which won the program’s first AA city championship in 2021-2022, finished its season at 19-7 overall.
Class B girls state championship–Erleen Rosso scored 11 points for St. Catharine’s Academy in a 55-33 loss to Academy of Sacred Heart of Buffalo at Hofstra University March 13.
St. Catharine’s scored the game’s first eight points before Sacred Heart came back on its way to the state title.
St. Catharine’s, which claimed the program’s first city championship, finished the season at 14-3 overall.
Class A boys state championship–Omari Ward finished with 17 points and three assists for Fordham Prep in its 85-49 loss to Canisius at Erie Community College in Buffalo March 12.
Thomas Whelan had 12 points and two steals for Fordham Prep, which also received eight points and nine rebounds from Nathan Boateng.
Fordham Prep, which has won back-to-back city championships, completed the regular season at 22-5 overall.
