Hamilton schools rise to top in Mercer CYO basketball championships
February 25, 2022 at 12:46 a.m.
For most people, Super Sunday was when the Rams beat the Bengals in football a few weeks ago. But for the Mercer County CYO Basketball League, Super Sunday came on Feb. 20, when the league crowned six playoff champions at the Trenton CYO Center.
Click HERE to view a photo gallery of the CYO Girls championships, and HERE for the Boys championships.
In the Freshman Division, the girls’ team of St. Raphael-Holy Angels, Hamilton, and boys’ team of St. Gregory the Great, Hamilton Square, claimed titles. It was a clean sweep for St. Greg’s in the JV Division as they won both the boys’ and girls’ championships. In the Varsity Division, St. Raphael’s girls and Trenton Catholic Preparatory Academy, Hamilton, took home the crowns.
The St. Raphael’s girls defeated St. Gregory’s Blue, 12-6, as Emily Casimates led the way with six points, Victoria Lockington added four and Lindsay Ditta chipped in with two. The win capped a 7-0 season for SRHA.
“Our team was amazing in the championship game,” coach John Casimates said. “We were missing two starters (Olivia Angiolino and Gemma Trammo), so we had Giuliana Tamagno and Kara Petrino step up and play great. “
Forced to switch things around in their 2-1-2 zone, Emily Casimates went from the back wing to the top of the zone and, with the help of Tamagno, disrupted the St. Greg’s guards.
“They made it difficult to penetrate and have good shots,” Casimates said. “St. Gregory’s is a good team with some big, strong girls and our frontcourt of Kara Petrino, Lindsay Ditta and Victoria Lockington made it very difficult for them to lob the ball down low for layups. The girls would either take the basketball or swat it away, which I felt kept them out of rhythm all game. “
The coach praised Lockington’s toughness on defense, noting that when she left the game, St. Greg’s hit lay-ups on consecutive possessions; and when she returned St. Greg’s scored one point for the rest of the game.
Rounding out the team were reserves Catarina Pillar, Jada Jokhan, Catie Nezezon and Anna Sweeney, who “gave our starters a breather when needed and really helped keep them fresh.”
Coming into the season, Casimates said he felt his outfit had a shot at winning the title due to its depth, athleticism and high basketball IQs.
“The girls really got along and worked hard at practice,” the coach said. “I don't think we have any exclusive basketball-only players – but rather a team full of athletes. I would attribute a lot of this year’s success to our training we had last season. Due to the COVID outbreak the season was canceled; however, our team still practiced all season and worked on fundamentals. I think that really helped us this year.”
The St. Gregory’s Blue freshman team took a 22-14 win over St. Raphael’s Gold as Evan Rogers and Joseph D’Uva led the way with six points apiece. Ryan Kell added five points, Landen Tapping had four and Ryan Brown scored one to round out a balanced attack.
“The key to the game was our team defense,” said coach Bryan Rogers, the former girls coach at Hamilton’s Steinert High School. “We played with a lot of energy and made some big plays down the stretch. Every player contributed and played hard. It was a team effort. Evan and Joseph did most of the ball handling while Evan, Ryan Kell, Charlie Sodaro and Dominic DiLissio helped control the boards.”
St. Greg’s Blue finished with a 7-0 record and Rogers felt fortunate to have a group that worked hard throughout the season and wanted to learn the game. Rounding out the roster were Nicholas Corti, Orion Paterson, Nicholas Angelico and Ryan Bock.
“Our main goal was to get better as the season progressed,” Rogers said. “Because of COVID, this was the first time these boys played together. They got along great and supported each other. It was a good recipe for success. I was very proud of their effort throughout the season and as the season went on, we felt we could put ourselves in a position to compete for a championship.”
The JV girls final was an All-St. Gregory’s affair, as St. Greg’s Blue defeated St. Greg’s White, 37-8. Emma Napierkowski led the Blue attack with 14 points and was named the playoff Most Valuable Player.
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Rounding out the team were Emma Cimino, Siena Golizio, Ella Minutol, Katelyn Bunell, Budget Kahn, Maddie Griffin, Jaqueline Dennan, Antonette Cleveland and Bella Rosa.
Making it a sweep for the Hamilton Square parish, St. Gregory’s Blue defeated St. Paul’s Gold, 48-33, in the JV boys title game.
Michael Shanklin led the attack with 17 points and was named playoff MVP as St. Greg’s finished the season 9-0 with championships in St. Raphael’s Thanksgiving Tournament as well as the CYO tourney.
“The team played well all year and was able to keep playing well in the championship game,” coach Danny Bendas said. “Specifically with their ability to communicate with each other, work as a team and play aggressive defense.”
Bendas was most impressed with his team’s tenacious attitude of never giving up, and truly putting the team above the individual.
“Every player was prepared to do their best in order to win that game,” the coach said. “Every player did, in fact, play in all the playoff games, and therefore every team member was a contributing factor in the team’s success. In addition to Mike Shanklin; Jack Maida, Jonathan Posivak and Mike Schiaretti all helped set the tone for the game early on.”
The remainder of the team included Jack Bendas, Jai Johnson, Kurtis Johnson, Michael Juliano, Matteo Leming, Evan Lopez, Justin Lushbaugh, Liam Williams and Joey Wilson. It was a group that knew what it wanted and went after it.
“At the start of any season there is never a way to know what is possible with regards to winning a championship,” Bendas said. “That being said, at the very first practice this season the team expressed their goal to the coaching staff of winning a championship for two seasons in a row, and they achieved their goal. The coaching staff is very proud of them all.”
In the most exciting game of the day, St. Raphael used a furious fourth-quarter comeback to take a 31-29 victory over Princeton’s St. Paul’s Gold in the Varsity girls final. Lauren Adams led the scoring attack with nine points, while Ayana Jackson, Ayden Jackson, Eva Carvale, Addy Dziabik and Brooklyn Piester all tallied points. Nadia Figueroa and Emily Chirchella also contributed. Jackson made two free throws with 32 seconds left to win it.
St. Raphael actually trailed 25-15 entering the fourth quarter and promptly made a defensive switch that allowed it to outscore St. Paul’s 16-4 over the final eight minutes.
“I made the adjustment and played a box-and-one on their best player,” said coach Chanel Johnson, a former 1,000-point scorer for Hamilton West. “That was the turning point. We were able to make a few steals.”
The final steal came from Kelly, who dished to Jackson, who was fouled and made both shots.
“The start of the game was a little rocky, but I expected nerves. This was their first time ever playing in the championship game,” Johnson said. “After they let the nerves go, we started playing basketball – but we just couldn’t buy a basket.”
But the team continued to battle. Kelly had three fourth-quarter steals that led to points, Jackson was stellar in the box-and-one face guarding St. Paul’s top scorer, and fifth-grader Dziabik “showed no fear,” according to Johnson. She came in and hit two 3-pointers that were very key for us. Every girl honestly fulfilled their assignments I gave them, and I couldn’t be prouder of them all.”
The team had just six girls try out at the start of the season, but eventually picked up two more and became a cohesive group.
“The trust was always there,” Johnson said. “They believed in my decisions and I believed in them. With that type of chemistry, I knew this team had the chance to win it all.”
In the boys Varsity championship game, Napoleon was dynamite as Dylan Napoleon scored 27 points and earned playoff MVP in TCPA Blue’s 48-36 win over St. Paul’s Gold.
Rounding out the TCPA squad were Kalebh Girton, Luis Bertolini, Teriyon Page, Brent Zoeduah, Christopher Abreu, Javen Tarr and Elijah Dillon.
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For most people, Super Sunday was when the Rams beat the Bengals in football a few weeks ago. But for the Mercer County CYO Basketball League, Super Sunday came on Feb. 20, when the league crowned six playoff champions at the Trenton CYO Center.
Click HERE to view a photo gallery of the CYO Girls championships, and HERE for the Boys championships.
In the Freshman Division, the girls’ team of St. Raphael-Holy Angels, Hamilton, and boys’ team of St. Gregory the Great, Hamilton Square, claimed titles. It was a clean sweep for St. Greg’s in the JV Division as they won both the boys’ and girls’ championships. In the Varsity Division, St. Raphael’s girls and Trenton Catholic Preparatory Academy, Hamilton, took home the crowns.
The St. Raphael’s girls defeated St. Gregory’s Blue, 12-6, as Emily Casimates led the way with six points, Victoria Lockington added four and Lindsay Ditta chipped in with two. The win capped a 7-0 season for SRHA.
“Our team was amazing in the championship game,” coach John Casimates said. “We were missing two starters (Olivia Angiolino and Gemma Trammo), so we had Giuliana Tamagno and Kara Petrino step up and play great. “
Forced to switch things around in their 2-1-2 zone, Emily Casimates went from the back wing to the top of the zone and, with the help of Tamagno, disrupted the St. Greg’s guards.
“They made it difficult to penetrate and have good shots,” Casimates said. “St. Gregory’s is a good team with some big, strong girls and our frontcourt of Kara Petrino, Lindsay Ditta and Victoria Lockington made it very difficult for them to lob the ball down low for layups. The girls would either take the basketball or swat it away, which I felt kept them out of rhythm all game. “
The coach praised Lockington’s toughness on defense, noting that when she left the game, St. Greg’s hit lay-ups on consecutive possessions; and when she returned St. Greg’s scored one point for the rest of the game.
Rounding out the team were reserves Catarina Pillar, Jada Jokhan, Catie Nezezon and Anna Sweeney, who “gave our starters a breather when needed and really helped keep them fresh.”
Coming into the season, Casimates said he felt his outfit had a shot at winning the title due to its depth, athleticism and high basketball IQs.
“The girls really got along and worked hard at practice,” the coach said. “I don't think we have any exclusive basketball-only players – but rather a team full of athletes. I would attribute a lot of this year’s success to our training we had last season. Due to the COVID outbreak the season was canceled; however, our team still practiced all season and worked on fundamentals. I think that really helped us this year.”
The St. Gregory’s Blue freshman team took a 22-14 win over St. Raphael’s Gold as Evan Rogers and Joseph D’Uva led the way with six points apiece. Ryan Kell added five points, Landen Tapping had four and Ryan Brown scored one to round out a balanced attack.
“The key to the game was our team defense,” said coach Bryan Rogers, the former girls coach at Hamilton’s Steinert High School. “We played with a lot of energy and made some big plays down the stretch. Every player contributed and played hard. It was a team effort. Evan and Joseph did most of the ball handling while Evan, Ryan Kell, Charlie Sodaro and Dominic DiLissio helped control the boards.”
St. Greg’s Blue finished with a 7-0 record and Rogers felt fortunate to have a group that worked hard throughout the season and wanted to learn the game. Rounding out the roster were Nicholas Corti, Orion Paterson, Nicholas Angelico and Ryan Bock.
“Our main goal was to get better as the season progressed,” Rogers said. “Because of COVID, this was the first time these boys played together. They got along great and supported each other. It was a good recipe for success. I was very proud of their effort throughout the season and as the season went on, we felt we could put ourselves in a position to compete for a championship.”
The JV girls final was an All-St. Gregory’s affair, as St. Greg’s Blue defeated St. Greg’s White, 37-8. Emma Napierkowski led the Blue attack with 14 points and was named the playoff Most Valuable Player.
[[In-content Ad]]
Rounding out the team were Emma Cimino, Siena Golizio, Ella Minutol, Katelyn Bunell, Budget Kahn, Maddie Griffin, Jaqueline Dennan, Antonette Cleveland and Bella Rosa.
Making it a sweep for the Hamilton Square parish, St. Gregory’s Blue defeated St. Paul’s Gold, 48-33, in the JV boys title game.
Michael Shanklin led the attack with 17 points and was named playoff MVP as St. Greg’s finished the season 9-0 with championships in St. Raphael’s Thanksgiving Tournament as well as the CYO tourney.
“The team played well all year and was able to keep playing well in the championship game,” coach Danny Bendas said. “Specifically with their ability to communicate with each other, work as a team and play aggressive defense.”
Bendas was most impressed with his team’s tenacious attitude of never giving up, and truly putting the team above the individual.
“Every player was prepared to do their best in order to win that game,” the coach said. “Every player did, in fact, play in all the playoff games, and therefore every team member was a contributing factor in the team’s success. In addition to Mike Shanklin; Jack Maida, Jonathan Posivak and Mike Schiaretti all helped set the tone for the game early on.”
The remainder of the team included Jack Bendas, Jai Johnson, Kurtis Johnson, Michael Juliano, Matteo Leming, Evan Lopez, Justin Lushbaugh, Liam Williams and Joey Wilson. It was a group that knew what it wanted and went after it.
“At the start of any season there is never a way to know what is possible with regards to winning a championship,” Bendas said. “That being said, at the very first practice this season the team expressed their goal to the coaching staff of winning a championship for two seasons in a row, and they achieved their goal. The coaching staff is very proud of them all.”
In the most exciting game of the day, St. Raphael used a furious fourth-quarter comeback to take a 31-29 victory over Princeton’s St. Paul’s Gold in the Varsity girls final. Lauren Adams led the scoring attack with nine points, while Ayana Jackson, Ayden Jackson, Eva Carvale, Addy Dziabik and Brooklyn Piester all tallied points. Nadia Figueroa and Emily Chirchella also contributed. Jackson made two free throws with 32 seconds left to win it.
St. Raphael actually trailed 25-15 entering the fourth quarter and promptly made a defensive switch that allowed it to outscore St. Paul’s 16-4 over the final eight minutes.
“I made the adjustment and played a box-and-one on their best player,” said coach Chanel Johnson, a former 1,000-point scorer for Hamilton West. “That was the turning point. We were able to make a few steals.”
The final steal came from Kelly, who dished to Jackson, who was fouled and made both shots.
“The start of the game was a little rocky, but I expected nerves. This was their first time ever playing in the championship game,” Johnson said. “After they let the nerves go, we started playing basketball – but we just couldn’t buy a basket.”
But the team continued to battle. Kelly had three fourth-quarter steals that led to points, Jackson was stellar in the box-and-one face guarding St. Paul’s top scorer, and fifth-grader Dziabik “showed no fear,” according to Johnson. She came in and hit two 3-pointers that were very key for us. Every girl honestly fulfilled their assignments I gave them, and I couldn’t be prouder of them all.”
The team had just six girls try out at the start of the season, but eventually picked up two more and became a cohesive group.
“The trust was always there,” Johnson said. “They believed in my decisions and I believed in them. With that type of chemistry, I knew this team had the chance to win it all.”
In the boys Varsity championship game, Napoleon was dynamite as Dylan Napoleon scored 27 points and earned playoff MVP in TCPA Blue’s 48-36 win over St. Paul’s Gold.
Rounding out the TCPA squad were Kalebh Girton, Luis Bertolini, Teriyon Page, Brent Zoeduah, Christopher Abreu, Javen Tarr and Elijah Dillon.