STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Olivia DiMonda netted 18 points and Maria O’Connell recorded 10 points and eight rebounds as St. Joseph by-the-Sea dropped a 58-55 CHSAA AAA decision to Christ the King, ranked second in the state according to MaxPreps, Saturday at home.
“Execution needed to be better overall to pull out a win against a top team like CTK,” said Viking head coach Josh Suslak. “We tried to do some things to help us gain advantages but CTK made tremendous adjustments at halftime and went on a run in the third quarter that helped propel them to victory.
“Trying to slow down and contain players like Josephine Pinnock and Olivia Vukosa (both being heavily recruited) for four quarters is extremely difficult and our players did all they could for the most part.”
The Vikings, who host Xaverian Wednesday, fell to 8-4 overall and 3-3 in the league.
Giovanna Grima added 10 points for the Vikes, while Lila Goldstein scored nine.
Sea led 30-21 at the half, but was outscored 26-8 in the third stanza, giving CTK a 47-38 lead.
The Vikings made things very interesting by outscoring the winners 17-11 in the fourth, but couldn’t pull out the game.
“I’m proud of their effort but would have liked to see better and more consistent execution, especially in the second half, and some more connections on the shots we took,” said Suslak. “Disappointing but we are hoping there are things from this film that we can study to improve as we head towards the playoffs.”
Moore Catholic’s Mackenzie Felci delivered two big games over the weekend.Michael O’Brien
Moore Catholic 67, Kennedy Catholic 44
SOMERS, N.Y. — The Mavericks recorded the CHSAA AA League win on the road Saturday as Mackenzie Felci once again showcased why she is regarded as one of the top all-around players on Staten Island, finishing with 18 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks and three steals.
“Kenzie has been great for us all season,” said Moore head coach Gene Henderson, whose club improved to 6-0 in the league. “She fills up the stat sheet and she also does so many things that don’t always show up in the box score, but they’re critical to winning basketball games.”
Olivia Bruno-Dunn contributed 14 points along with three assists and two steals. Emma Bruno-Dunn (10 points, five rebounds) and Emma Costanzo (eight points, seven assists) also had strong games.
Moore improved to 6-0 in the league.
Hudson Catholic 41, Moore 33 (OT)
EDISON, N.J. — The Mavericks (9-2 overall) succumbed to a worthy opponent in overtime in the Coaches Choice St. Thomas Aquinas Challenge on Sunday.
“Just one of those days where everything that could go wrong did,” said Henderson. “We shot very poorly, our decision-making was poor, we didn’t box out, and we got away from running our offense. Bottom line, I did not have the kids prepared to play this game — that’s on me. I did a terrible job.”
Henderson was quick to credit Hudson Catholic, adding, “By no means am I taking anything away from Hudson Cathlic. They are a good team and did a very good job, especially in overtime, and did what they needed to do to win.”
The loss was compounded by an injury to starting point guard Costanzo.
Felci once again led the way for Moore Catholic, finishing with 22 points, 13 rebounds, and three blocks.
Despite the setback, there was a silver lining for the Mavericks, who were playing their sixth game in nine days and won five of those contests, including four league victories.
Moore will look to bounce back Friday when it travels to Holy Cross for a CHSAA AA matchup.