St. Mary’s 8th grade team 3 faced St. Anne, Garden City. Matt Cozzi came out of the gates hot with eight points in the first quarter as St. Mary’s built a solid lead, 14-5. Also adding to the early scoring onslaught were Aiden Lotruglio and Kelly Quinn, both in double figures. Rounding out the scoring in the 53-26 win were JP Alaprantis, Chris Alcarez, Julian Brown, Jack Hannan, Colin Holdrieth, Andrew Pogue and Ryan Sullivan. Michael Runac, Drew Miller, and Sean Holdrieth all had assists and contributed solid defense for St. Mary’s.
St. Mary’s 8th grade team 7 held off a game St. Catherine, Franklin Square, 60-58, led by Timmy Kiggins (20) and Joe Locurto (12) and strong performances from Charlie Young (8), Steven Vlahakis (6), Duncan Barcelona, Steven Salerno and Patrick Weber. Key rebounding by Eddie Arnold and Charlie Young against a bigger and stronger St. Catherine’s squad aided in the victory that was sealed by a Joseph Mulholland steal and a key Mulholland rebound with three seconds left to hold off a comeback by St. Catherine’s.
St. Mary’s 5th grade team 1 scored an impressive 25-20 road victory over previously-undefeated Our Lady of Victory, Floral Park. It was a well-balanced attack on both sides of the court. The offense was led by Charles Balsamo (7), Nicholas Ras (6) and Ryan Kolin (4). Brendan Conniff, Patrick Leder, Will Cargiulo and Christian Alacqua each added two points. The defense was also strong, forcing numerous turnovers and dominating the rebounding, led by Michael Mastando, Brendan Sargent and Donovan Barcelona.
St. Mary’s 8th grade team 1 scored a hard-fought 61-56 road victory in overtime against a very talented – and previously-undefeated – St. Vincent de Paul in a thrilling contest in Elmont. St. Mary’s offense was led by John Mastando, who scored 30 points, six in overtime, three three-pointers and was 13-for-16 from the line, Thomas Santella, who added 15 points, and Nicky Quinn chipped in nine. Will Allen added four points, including two late free throws, Jay Schlaefer hit a three-pointer early in the game, and Jack Saville added an important free throw in OT. Chris Carillo, John Whelan and Ross Tortora made big contributions on defense and in rebounding. The team is looking forward to the return of the injured Alex Racanelli and Thomas Blaney.
The 7th grade St. Marys team 2 handily beat the well-coached St. Joseph’s, Garden City, 37-23. Both teams played a fast-paced, aggressive full-court press defense. Jesse Bernstone, Marco Falcone and Daniel Selby each had eight points and Stefano Troia played well at the point, setting up many scoring plays and adding four points. Marco Pugliese, back from being on the disabled list, provided a large defensive boost to the team. Marc Baronci scored six and – together with Sean Tintle – was strong on the boards. Nikola Misetic and James Malvey played excellent defense that caused multiple turnovers.
St. Mary’s 5th grade team 7 was back in action this weekend with a 35-19 victory against St. Joseph’s, Garden City. The boys from St. Mary’s started slowly and the game was close at the end of the first quarter. However, spirited defense led by Tommy Tsongas and Matt Perfetto triggered several fast breaks and some easy baskets. Dillon Magee and Hunter Panzik kept up the level of intensity with strong rebounding and interior defense. St. Joseph’s responded with a tenacious half-court press, but Joey Terenzi, Michael Lasalle and Alex Cozzi moved the ball well and each of the boys had several key assists resulting in a nine-point first half lead. St. Mary’s continued their strong effort on defense in the second half and Chris Diskin, Peter Vorillas and Brendan Trotta continued to push the tempo on the offensive end. Despite a late rally by St. Joseph’s, the boys from St. Mary’s were able to secure the win.
