St. Francis Prep gave its seniors the fitting send off it felt they deserved. Notre Dame Academy beat the Terriers on their Senior Night Feb. 17, so SFP was happy to see them come back to Fresh Meadows for the first round of the CHSAA Class A state girls basketball playoffs.
“That was definitely motivation,” St. Francis Prep coach JoAnn Wager said.
That showed right from the start and paid off in the end. The Terriers’ four seniors were on the court when the final buzzer sounded on a 63-44 win over the Gators at St. Francis Prep Friday. SFP moves on to play Archdiocesan champion Moore Catholic in the quarterfinals next Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at St. Dominic (L.I.).
The Terriers led 15-2 after the first quarter, allowing just two NDA free throws, causing Wagner to call her usually good defense “incredible.” On offense they were aggressive, diving for a loose ball and attacking and sustaining it throughout the game. Jenna Halaby scored 16 points and Nicole Lenard had 16 points, including five 3-pointers for St. Francis Prep (12-11). Katherine Kraus added six points. The offensive outburst came at the right time for a team that struggled to score at the end of the regular season.
“We were flying down the court and we were actually scoring at the end of them,” Wagner joked.
St. Francis Prep took a 35-22 lead at the half and Notre Dame (13-15) would get within 12 multiple time. Lenard, though, it three 3-pointers in the third quarter, each time answering a Gators push. Cheryl Lopez scored 10 points and Ashley Iannacone added eight points for NDA, which could not top the Terriers for a second time.
“They knew they didn’t play well that night,” Wagner said of her team. “They were very excited when I told them we were playing Notre Dame. They said, Let’s try to do this [for the seniors]’ and then they did.”
Moore Catholic 60, Holy Trinity (LI) 44: Taylor Baggs had 26 points and 11 rebounds and Christina Rubin had 16 points for Moore Catholic (22-5) in a CHSAA Class A state first round game. Jessica Coscia scored 11 points and dished out nine assists and Taylor Robertson added 11 points. Nicole Arnone had 10 points and nine rebounds. Kristen Korzevinski and Meghan Orlando both dropped in 11 for Holy Trinity (12-14). The Mavericks play St. Francis Prep at 7:30 p.m. March 12 at St. Dominic in the quarterfinals.
St. Mary’s (L.I.) 66, St. Joseph Hill 41: Keelan Smith scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds and Kelsey Carey had nine points and seven rebounds for St. Joseph Hill (14-13) in a CHSAA Class A state first round game. Carey twisted her knee early in the third quarter and did not return. Kate Scarangello added 10 points off the bench. Shannon Flynn led St. Mary’s (16-7) with 27 points. Madeline Jankowski added 11. St. Mary’s takes on Archbishop Molloy at 6 p.m. March 12 at Kellenberg in the quarterfinals.
St. Anthony’s (L.I.) 47, St. John Villa 35: Katie Nikosey scored 16 points for St. John Villa (9-19) in the CHSAA Class A state first round. Nikki Fabozzi added seven. Symone Kelly led St. Anthony’s (21-6) with 12 points. The Friars move on to play Nardin (Buffalo) in the quarterfinals March 12 at 5:45 p.m. at St. Dominic.
Archbishop Molloy 50, Aquinas 37: Kyra Aloizos scored 11 points and Marielle Duryea had eight for Archbishop Molloy (13-15) in the CHSAA Class A state first round. Kelly Guerriero and Amani Tatum each had six. Sade Jackson lead Aquinas with 17 points. The Stanners advance to play St. Mary’s (L.I.) at 6 p.m. March 12 at Kellenberg in the semifinals.