Beware the trap game. That was St. Saviour coach Jim Gregson’s message to his players.
The Pandas were coming off their second CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens Division II tournament title in four years Saturday, but there’s more to play for. The celebration could not be a long one.
“I told them, ‘You gotta be careful here,’” Gregson said. “I think this is a hard game to refocus on.”
CHSAA Manhattan champion St. Vincent Ferrer trailed by single digits late in the third quarter. But St. Saviour was able to secure a 41-28 win Monday in the CHSAA Class B city quarterfinals at St. John’s Prep in Astoria. The Pandas play Good Counsel in the semifinals 4:30 p.m. Tuesday back at SJP.
“Saturday was a big win,” Gregson said. “Something like this, not to disrespect them, it was hard to get into the game.”
St. Vincent Ferrer (11-2) was within 29-20 on a basket by Audrey O’Neill with just 2:24 left in the third. But, powered by Alyson Caiazzo, St. Saviour (9-5) was able to pull away in the fourth. The senior, who scored 22 points against Fontbonne Hall in the B/Q title game Saturday, had 11 points. Senior point guard Ruby Scarantino also had 11 points and sophomore Alexis James added nine.
“I just love to play,” Caiazzo said. “The more I get to play, the better it is. It’s my last year. I just want to keep winning so we can keep playing.”
Ferrer did a good job defending Caiazzo, throwing a box-and-1 at her, a defense that she has never seen before. There were always at least two girls around her in the paint. She scored mostly on putbacks and jumpers. Marcela Madera had 11 points and Lauren Latawiec had eight points for the Falcons.
“We can do really well in the city tournament,” Caiazzo said. “I have a lot of faith in these girls. If we play our hardest, I think we can go to the state. I think we can go really far.”
St. John’s Prep 63, Sacred Heart (Westchester) 58: Caroline Souza had 22 points, Jennifer Walsh had 12 points and LaShonda Hathorne and Jen Miller had nine points apiece for St. John’s Prep (8-5) at Sacred Heart in Yonkers. The Red Storm have a rematch with rival Fontbonne Hall in the semifinals 6 p.m. in Astoria.
The home team was down just 55-52 with 1:20 left, but SJP’s Brittnee Jefferson hit a 3-pointer and Souza had two huge free throws with under a minute left to seal the victory. Tiffanie Corselli had 33 pts and six 3-pointers for Sacred Heart. St. John’s won despite Hathorne and Miller being mired in foul trouble throughout.
“We held on pretty well,” Storm coach Ed Flood said. “The rest of the squad pulled it together.”
Good Counsel 50, St. Edmund 28: The Eagles scored just three points in the first quarter and actually led at the half before succumbing after the break in Yonkers. Erin Blum led St. Edmund (9-13) with 11 points.
“We just ran out of gas,” Eagles coach Dan Doelger said. “We shouldn’t have lost that game. The three-hour bus ride was tough.”