Sports

Bonnies beat St. John’s Prep to advance to ‘B’ city final

Steve Oliver could feel it even before his team arrived at the gym Monday.

“I thought going into it on the bus alone they were in a hangover state,” the Fontbonne Hall coach said.

It’s hard to blame the Bonnies. On Saturday, they beat rival Bishop Kearney for the CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens Division II title in dramatic fashion.

A lackluster Fontbonne squad had to gut out a victory over St. Vincent Ferrer on Monday. But the Bonnies were back to normal in a 45-31 win over St. John’s Prep in the CHSAA Class B girls basketball city semifinals Tuesday at Sacred Heart in Yonkers. They led from start to finish and never let the Red Storm, which has a win over them this season, get back into the game.

“We came out right from the first quarter,” said sophomore guard Kate Oliver, the coach’s daughter. “We were comfortable. … We just ran our stuff well.”

Cindy Henderson, the hero from Saturday’s win over Kearney, had 12 points and Kate Oliver had 11 points. That’s kind of the way it has been for Fontbonne (17-5) all season.

“They’ve really been the 1-2 punch,” Steve Oliver said.

Next up for Fontbonne is Preston, the Archdiocesan winner, in the ‘B’ city championship 5 p.m. Friday back at Sacred Heart. The Bonnies have designs on some more postseason success. The winner of that game meets the Buffalo ‘B’ representative Cardinal O’Hara in the state final 3 p.m. Saturday at Christ the King. A trip upstate to Albany for the New York State Federation tournament will be on the line.

“I still think right now getting to the championship is crazy,” Henderson said. “It’s so unreal.”

It’s a good thing Fontbonne survived against St. Vincent Ferrer. Siobhan Sammon, who drained a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer Tuesday to give the Bonnies a 22-12 lead, was out sick for the quarterfinal game, as was Niahve Rivera.

Fontbonne, though, is still alive and kicking. St. John’s Prep (12-6), led by Carla Marfe (10 points) and Carolina Souza (seven points), saw its season come to an end.

“I believe in my heart,” Steve Oliver said, “if we play 32 minutes, athletically put pressure on a team and knock down our shots, we can play with any team on this level.”

mraimondi@nypost.com