STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.— After enduring two tough losses to Monsignor Scanlan during the regular season, St. Joseph by-the-Sea couldn’t make the third time the charm against one of the city’s most talented teams, falling 65-35 in Saturday night’s CHSAA AAA Archdiocesan Championship game.
“They’re just a phenomenal team—so deep. In past years, we were able to neutralize one or two of their stars and get a chance to compete. But when you take one away now, there are so many others who can hurt you,” Sea head coach Josh Suslak said after the contest.
“No matter what we did, we couldn’t beat them in three tries. We tried different approaches each time, but the result was the same. As a coach, you feel that they’re simply a better basketball team, top to bottom, on an individual level.”
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CHSAA AAA Division Championship Game between St. Joseph By the Sea and Monsignor Scanlan, at College of Staten Island, Willowbrook, on Saturday Feb. 21, 2026. Scanlon wins 65-35. (Kara Buzga for Advance/SILive.com)
The strength in Scanlan’s game came thanks to a suffocating defense that left Sea with just three points in the first quarter and 12 at halftime to put them firmly on the path to victory.
Despite a grim outlook at the break, Sea played hard to the final buzzer and improved in the second half, with two Vikings—Olivia DiMonda (10) and Maria O’Connell (10)—finishing in double figures.
Suslak gave his seniors props for their efforts, saying that “they’re captains; they know their careers are winding down here at St. Joe’s, and although they’re going to play at the next level in college, I think they understand how special, playing for this and program, is.”
“They’ve obviously meant a lot to us; their legacy is etched in what we’ve done, and they just want to end it as best they can. So, I’m proud of them,” he added.
He also said his team never taking a possession off despite the tough scoreline is a testament to the team culture the Vikings have built.
“That’s expected. They understand that; I think they’d be a problem if they didn’t play that way. Win or lose, you’ve got to play with a lot of heart. And I think, for the most part, they did that,” he said.
Despite the defeat, one bright spot for Suslak’s crew is that they’ll remain alive in AAA Intersectional play this coming week, with a matchup against either Nazareth or Xaverian—two teams they’ve already beaten this year—looming.
CHSAA AAA Division Championship Game between St. Joseph By the Sea and Monsignor Scanlan, at College of Staten Island, Willowbrook, on Saturday Feb. 21, 2026. Scanlon wins 65-35. (Kara Buzga for Advance/SILive.com).
“It’s going to be a different opponent whoever we play on Wednesday, so the game plan could be a bit different. Maybe we got away from who we really are, trying to do different things to counteract Scanlan, and you kind of lose before the ball even tips off when you do that,” Suslak said.
“I don’t do this often, but after playing them last week and sticking to our style without success, I felt we needed to try something else. They’re just a better basketball team. Going forward, we’ll see what the matchups look like. We’ve faced Nazareth and Xaverian one-on-one before, so it looks like we’ll play one of them, and we’ll just play our style and our game,” he concluded.