Fontbonne’s Kate Oliver (l.) and Bishop Kearney’s Emily Hiltunen and thier teams will fight it out for the Division II crown. (Robert Cole)
CHSAA girls basketball beat writer Joseph Staszewski breaks down Saturday’s CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens Division I and Division II finals at Christ the King.
SCHEDULE
4 p.m. – No. 1 Bishop Kearney vs. No. 2 Fontbonne Hall, Division II championship
6 p.m. – No. 2 Bishop Ford vs. No. 4 Christ the King, Division I championship
Bishop Ford Falcons
Head coach: Mike Toro
Record: 22-4
Player to watch: Aaliyah Lewis
Christ the King Royals
Head coach: Bob Mackey
Record: 14-13
Player to watch: Sierra Calhoun
Outlook: One team is trying to win its first-ever title in its first championship game appearance. The other is a league power looking to regain its crown after a one-year hiatus from the final.
The Royals were upset by Mary Louis in last year’s semifinals, but pulled one of their own this year. CK, which is playing its best basketball of the season, upended nationally ranked Nazareth 54-53 Wednesday. The difference of late has been balance and contributions up and down the roster.
“One year out and you guys are already writing our epitaph,” CK coach Bob Mackey said. “It’s great to be back in the final. That would be a lie if I said otherwise.”
Sophomore Sierra Calhoun is one of the nation’s best players, but in the playoffs she has found a sidekick both for this season and beyond in classmate Kollyns Scarbrough. She and Taylor Butigian can give the Ford’s frontcourt all it can handle. Guards Rayne Connell, who is headed to UPenn, and Alyssa Gatti are both very capable of handling the Falcons pressure.
“We played great as a team and that is why we won the game,” Calhoun said.
Bishop Ford is in the final on the heels of an improbable shot by star guard Aaliyah Lewis with .4 seconds left to beat Molloy in the semifinals. The Falcons have been near the top of the city rankings all season and feature one of its best backcourts with Lewis, Aaliyah Jones and UTEP-bound Shanice Vaughan.
“It was the luckiest shot ever,” Falcons forward Brittney (Pookie) Martin said.
Senior forward Brittany Lewis and reserve guard Jill Conroy are as steady as they come. The x-factor will be the play of the 6-foot-2 center Martin. She grabbed 17 rebounds to go along with seven points against the Stanners.
“She becoming a big-time basketball player in her senior year,” Toro said of Martin.
The two teams split the regular-season meeting with each winning on the others’ home court. The Falcons have never beaten the Royals on their home court. CK won the most recent meeting 68-56 in early February on Senior Night. This time around there is an extra prize. The winner is the diocesan’s top seed in next week’s CHSAA Class AA tournament and earns a first-round bye.
Bishop Kearney Tigers
Head coach: Rocco Sellitto
Record: 14-10
Player to watch: Allison Gasparino
Fontbonne Hall
Head coach: Steve Oliver
Record: 14-5
Player to watch: Kate Oliver
Outlook: There is nothing like a rivalry game for the title and plenty of bragging rights. With Bishop Kearney moving into Division II, it marked the first time in decades the Brooklyn schools were in the same league. They split in the regular season, with both winning on their home court. The Tigers snapped the Bonnies two-year regular season title reign thanks to a common opponents tiebreaker.
Fontbonne and coach Steve Oliver will look to end another streak after losing in consecutive diocesan finals. His backcourt of his daughter Kate and Cindy Henderson is formidable on both ends of the floor and both can score in bunches. Forwards Michele Moran and Siobhan Sammon are both capable of breakout games and could be the difference in what is likely to be a tight contest.
Guard Allison Gasparino has been a revelation for Kearney this season with her asthma no longer an issue. She can been the Tigers’ steadying force. Forwards Cathy Wesolowski and Caroline Thurlow could allow Kearney to control the boards. The x-factor is shooter Justine Vento. When she gets hot from the outside it can open things up for everyone else. Whoever wins will be one of the favorites to make a run in the upcoming CHSAA Class B state tournament.