STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.— The defending CHSAA A (now the AA division after realignment) state title winners have shown no signs of champions’ fatigue to open their 2025–26 campaign, as the Moore Catholic Mavericks improved to 5–0 in league play (8–1 overall) on Thursday evening with a 67–31 rout of visiting St. Joseph Hill in Graniteville.
“Tonight was a great win,” Moore head coach Gene Henderson said after the contest.
“Hill is a good team, but we forced them out of their rhythm defensively by taking away the rim and limiting their outside shooting. We covered all the bases on defense, and offensively we were solid — running our sets, moving the ball, and making things work throughout the night,” he continued.
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St. Joseph Hill vs. Moore Catholic
The home team burst out to a flying start that set the tone for the rest of the night, opening the game on a 14–0 run —something Henderson said has become a trademark of its success this season.
“I’ve been telling the girls that when we get off to a good start, we usually have a strong chance to win, and that’s been the case this season. We’ve jumped out early in several games —like going up 18–0 against NDA and 14–0 tonight — and that early momentum builds confidence and carries us through the rest of the game,” he shared.
Helping set the pace for the Mavericks was the dynamic play of point guard Emma Costanzo, who scored 14 points while finding open teammates and playing efficiently throughout the night, along with playmaking center Mackenzie Felci, who contributed a team-high 16 points and dominated inside with numerous blocks and rebounds.
“As a point guard, I want to get everyone involved — score a little myself, but mostly help my teammates by moving the ball, creating opportunities, and making sure everyone can contribute and work together,” Costanzo said.
Felci shared that, “I knew that on defense, if I could just get my hands up and distract their shot, there was a good chance it wasn’t going to go in. Someone could get the rebound, and we could push it and score like we’re used to.”
“On offense, I did my best to get as close to the rim as possible. There was a size advantage for me, and I focused on throwing the right passes and making the right plays for everyone on our team,” she continued.
Henderson also highlighted the play of Emma Bruno-Dunn (14 points), who could have likely ended up as the Mavs’ high scorer on the night if not for some reduced minutes.
“Emma did a really good job, though she got into a bit of foul trouble, and everyone else contributed as well. We’re a well-balanced team — we have five players averaging nine points or more, and we like it when everyone scores,” he shared.
Henderson also explained the keys to such a highly effective game on both sides of the ball, sharing that the Mavericks’ offense boils down to “a read-and-react dribble-drive offense built on backdoor cuts and executing on handoffs,” while their suffocating defense played at such a high level thanks to “locking in on our man, helping when we have to, and having Kenzie in the back makes up for mistakes.”
Reflecting on the unbeaten start to their championship defense, Henderson said the feeling so far this season has been “very similar to last year” — which could very well mean back-to-back titles for the Mavericks if they maintain their current level of play.
Moore Catholic’s Mackenzie Felci looks to get a stop on defense during a matchup against St. Joseph Hill on Jan. 8, 2026.Michael O’Brien
“We were about the same record this time last season, and we always play these two games against Hill and NDA around this point. We’ve been working on our defense more recently— our individual man-to-man defense and our team help defense. When you put those two together, it makes for a solid defensive game plan,” he concluded.
The Mavs will look to keep their stellar start to the season going when they travel to Kennedy Catholic on Saturday, while the Hilltoppers will look to bounce back during their own weekend matchup against Holy Cross.