This article was submitted by a team parent.
St. Joseph’s sixth grade boys played two games this weekend. The Celtics looked sharp on Saturday night as they visited St. Helen’s and came away with a 33-23 win. Guard, Harry Fardin, led the charge on Saturday for the Celtics with 9 points. On Sunday, the Celtics hosted St. John’s. Although the Celtics played a strong second half, outscoring St. John’s 20 to 19, they were unable to overcome a major halftime deficit and lost the game 42 to 26. Perry Reyes led all Celtic scorers with 12 points, all in the second half of the game. Patrick Dawkins contributed 8 points and had a strong rebounding game with 5 boards. Nicholas Aaron and Harry Fardin rounded out the scoring with 3 points each. Derrick Baptiste led the team in rebounding with 6 rebounds and Nicholas Aaron contributed 4 rebounds.
St. Joseph’s JV boys blue team came up on the short end this weekend, losing 30-15 to St. Helen’s of Westfield. Using its quickness out on the perimeter to create easy shots inside the paint, St. Helen’s raced out to a 10-2 lead. But thanks to some ball-hawking defense and crisp passing from Brendan Dawkins, as well as tenacious rebounding from Michael Pirone, St. Joseph answered with a 10-4 of its own to cut St. Helen’s lead down to 4, at 14-10. Alex Iozzio and Buchi Amobi also chipped in, limiting St.Helen’s to one shot by grabbing several defensive rebounds. St. Helen’s asserted control once again in the second half, using its defense to create turnovers and get some easy layups in transition, pushing its lead back to 10. But St. Joseph dug in one more time to make the game interesting as Liam Laskowski hit a running jumper in the lane, and Pirone knifed through traffic to hit a short jumper to reduce the St. Helen’s lead back down to 6. That was as close as St. Joseph would get. St. Helen’s took advantage of St. Joseph’s aggressive man-to-man full court press, breaking the pressure and pushing the ball up the floor for easy scoring opportunities.
St. Joseph’s second grade team played two exciting contests this weekend at home, taking on talented squads from St. Agnes of Clark and Holy Trinity of Westfield. All thirteen Celtics played a variety of positions during the two games, including each player taking a stint running the team from the point guard spot. On Saturday against St. Agnes, Timothy Van Der North and Flynn Larson paced the Celtics defensive effort with 3 steals each. Fiona McGowan added a steal and blocked shot and Luke Davenport and Jerry Browne consistently found each other for open looks at the basket. The Celtics staged a furious rally in the fourth quarter as Steven Copeland found Kieran Dawkins for a basket and also quickly moved the ball up court to register his second assist, finding Thomas Campbell who drained a 15-foot buzzer-beater thrilling his teammates and the crowd in Maplewood.
The second grade team played again on Sunday against Holy Trinity. Will Walsh, Harrison Zabik and Katie Callahan combined for 10 rebounds and 6 steals, consistently harassing the opponent. Kieran Dawkins, Steven Copeland and Flynn Larson paced the Celtics balanced scoring effort, combining for 12 points. Copeland scored on a jumper following a sweet pass from Luke Davenport and following a steal on a fast break. Luke Davenport also found Kieran Dawkins on a perfectly executed inbounds play for a bucket, and Flynn Larson sunk an 18-footer, displaying his range on his jumper. Timothy Van Der North added several rebounds and a nice assist to Dawkins following an offensive board. Adam Marek and Alex Szczepanski handled the ball well for the Celtics at guard.
On Saturday, the St. Joseph Celtics fourth grade Green and White teams squared off in an exciting game that came down to the wire. The Celtics White team stormed ahead early in the game, executing their offense to perfection, leading to baskets by Conor Kagel and Declan O’Connell and a free throw from Malachy Meyer. The Celtics Green team pulled ahead after a strong second quarter as point guard Derek Mingmongkol, Max Larson and Nicholas Alexander all drew key fouls and points from Patrick Campbell. Mike Pirone and Brendan Dawkins turned a 3-point deficit into a 5-point lead at the half for the Green team. The White team turned the tables in the third quarter as Charlie Giannone, Declan O’Connell and Jeremiah Cook all scored, demonstrating the White team’s balanced attack. A mid-range jumper from Nicholas Franklin late in the quarter gave the Green Team a 1-point lead heading into the final quarter. The Green team was ultimately able to secure a close win as Liam Laskowski’s ballhandling and Danny Guarnieri and Owen Holt’s work on the boards allowed Patrick Campbell and Brendan Dawkins to score enough points to hold off the White team, which added fourth quarter baskets from Meyer and Cook and strong defense and rebounding from Sean Kagel and Sebastian Pappas.
On Sunday, the St. Joseph’s Celtics fourth grade green team won a thriller that came down to the last second against a strong Holy Trinity team. The Celtics used a strong team defensive effort to secure a 17-15 victory in the game with Derek Mingmongkol, Patrick Campbell and Nicholas Franklin taking turns guarding the top scorers for the opponent. Owen Holt secured 3 steals and Danny Guarnieri added 5 rebounds for the Celtics. Max Larson was a steady presence at guard and found open teammates consistently for scoring chances. Liam Laskowski ran the point for the Celtics and played excellent defense, picking up 2 steals and helping the Celtics combat full-court pressure late in the game. Patrick Campbell’s jumper early in the game got the Celtics on the board, but Holy Trinity led by 5 at the half. The Celtics used a 10-0 run to turn the halftime deficit into a 5-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but Holy Trinity stormed back to cut the lead to 1 in the final minutes. Brendan Dawkins drove and dished to Nicholas Alexander who hit a key shot late in the game, and Dawkins also sank 2 free throws with less than 10 seconds left to extend the Celtics lead to 3. Dawkins finished 7 for 8 from the line and tallied 13 points in the game. The win pushes the Celtics into a tie for third place with one game remaining in the season.
St Joseph’s pee wee girls played St. Helen’s of Westfield on Saturday and lost 11-21. The game was a tale of two halves as the Celtics were unable to contain St. Helen’s offense and gave up 16 first half points. Baskets by Neve McGowan, Talia Baptiste and Evelyn Calabrese put points on the board and Kathleen Byrne and Sophia Franklin continued to find open players. But the Celtics could not convert. St. Joseph’s defense in the second half showed true Celtic Pride holding St. Helen’s to 5 points, but the deficit was too large to overcome. Zhara Alexander, Catherine Holt and Leah Connell crashed the offensive boards giving the Celtics multiple opportunities, but the basketball would not find it way through the hoop enough to get the Celtics back into the game. On Sunday, the team played St. Genevieve and lost a nail bitter 0-2. In this physical match up, the Celtics struggled to put points on the board despite the effort by Peyton Hollis, Maggie Calahan and Paloma Duvergne who worked vigorously to find open players. Jamie Fardin and Katie O’Mara pushed the ball looking for easy opportunities inside, but the basketball would not fall for the Celtics.
St. Joseph’s pee wee blue Meola team won a hard fought game 8-7 against the other St. Joeseph’s pee wee team on Saturday. John Pirone had a fabulous game, scoring five of the seven points and grabbing three rebounds. Justin DeVomecourt had a bucket and three rebounds. Matthew Corr and Cian O’Connor had strong defensive games, as well as four rebounds and a steal each. Ian Webber showed some great ball handling at point and was pesky on defensive. Lukas Alexander, Cade Minerley and Liam Haley all played well offensively and were aggressive on defense.
The week before, on Sunday Feb. 1, St. Joseph’s pee wee girls white team played St. Helen’s and fell short 11-14. St. Joseph’s defense had early trouble working to contain the offense of St. Helen’s. Talia Baptiste, with 4 points, and Leah Connell, with 2 points, kept the Celtics close in the first half while Evelyn Calabrese and Catherine Holt worked hard grabbing defensive rebounds to limit second chance points. Zhara Alexander and Jamie Fardin sparked the Celtics defense in the second half to hold St. Helen’s to 4 points. Neve McGowan was able to pull St. Joseph’s back into the game scoring 5 points in the second half. Ruby Aylward and Sophia Franklin had late game steals, but the Celtics were not able to convert them into points.
The second grade Celtics team played another masterful game against Holy Trinity, delighting the home fans at St. Joseph’s on Sunday, Feb. 1. From the opening tip to the final buzzer, the Celtics hustled and executed in all areas of the game. Countless rebounds from Stephen Copeland, Fiona McGowan and Alex Szczepanski, and several steals from Luke Davenport and Harrison Zabik, limited offensive opportunities for Holy Trinity. Adam Marek’s debut as point guard did not disappoint as he flawless handled the ball. Katie Callahan continued to baffle offenses with too many steals and takeaways to count. Perhaps the best executed play of the game came at the end of the first half when Thomas Campbell drove to the hoop from the guard position, drew two defenders, and then made a beautiful bounce pass to Jerry Browne who drained the bank shot. Kieran Dawkins and Flynn Larson continued to dazzle the crowd with their steals and ball handling skills, leading several fast breaks for scores as well as making shots after getting rebounds.
St. Joseph’s pee wee third grade Meola team battled valiantly and lost a tough game 10-6 to an aggressive and physical St. Agnes Gold team on Sunday Feb. 1. The Celtic’s tenacious defense held the usually high scoring St. Agnes team to only ten points. Liam Haley had a great game, providing 4 of the 6 points, as well as contributing a team high 7 rebounds. Ian Webber did a fabulous job on both ends of the court, showing great ball handling skills, grabbing 2 timely defensive rebounds and 2 steals, and playing unrelenting defense. John Wisniewski, from the other St. Joseph’s third grade team, generously lent his skills to the temporarily understaffed Meola team and contributed 2 points, 4 rebounds and a steal. Henry Aaron, who contributed 4 rebounds and 2 steals, had a strong game at point and played tough defense on a quick and tenacious St. Agnes offense. Justin DeVomecourt played amazing defense and fought for the ball on every possession. He added 3 rebounds and a steal to the effort. Cade Minerley and Lukas Alexander had 3 and 2 rebounds respectively.
Saint Joseph’s closed out January with several tough games.
St. Joseph’s split a weekend double header against St. James. On Saturday Jan. 24, St. Joseph’s was able to hold off and defeat St. James 12-11. Leah Connell and Talia Baptiste led all scores with 6 and 4 points. St. James was able to hold St. Joseph’s scoreless in the final quarter but strong rebounding by Neve McGowan and Zhara Alexander limited St. James’s scoring opportunities. The team was not as fortunate on Sunday Jan. 25, as they fell to a determined St. James team 9-5. Steals late in the fourth quarter by Peyton Hollis, Kathleen Byrne and Paloma Durvergne showed true Celtic pride, but St. Joseph’s was unable to convert those steals into points. Despite multiple opportunities, the Celtics could not put points on the board. Ruby Aylward and Jamie Fardin worked hard to get the Celtics offense going and a loose ball save by Leah Connell hoped to inspire but fell short when the buzzer sounded.
The St. Joseph’s Celtics fourth grade green team dropped a nail-biter to St. John’s of Clark on Saturday Jan. 24. The exciting contest featured multiple lead changes and lots of fast-paced action.The Celtics trailed for most of the first half before a defensive switch helped to slow the opponent. Nicholas Franklin and Derek Mingmongkol alternated turns assigned to the top scorers for St. John’s and their intense defensive pressure provided a much-needed spark for the Celtics. Mingmongkol played his best game of the season, complementing his role as defensive stopper by also playing point guard and setting up scoring opportunities for his teammates, including a bullet-pass to Nicholas Alexander who drew a key foul in the second half and converted on a free throw. In the third quarter, the Celtics ball movement created multiple opportunities, and the team turned a 3 point deficit into a 2 point lead heading into the fourth quarter. Liam Laskowski hit a key jumper from 18 feet and Patrick Campbell was all over the court on both ends, diving for loose balls, picking up 3 steals and 2 assists. In back and forth action in the fourth quarter, Brendan Dawkins tied the game with an old-fashioned 3 point play, driving the lane, absorbing contact and sinking a floater, and converting the ensuing foul shot. Dawkins also found Mike Pirone on the baseline for a key basket to put the Celtics ahead. But St. John’s aggressive transition offense helped them pull out a 19-16 victory. Dawkins contributed 8 points, and Mike Pirone had 5 points and 6 rebounds. Max Larson chipped in 4 rebounds from his guard spot, and Owen Holt added 2 steals and drew a key foul during the fourth quarter. Danny Guarnieri had 4 rebounds and played strong defense throughout the game.
The St. Joseph’s Celtics second grade team played two exciting games the January 24-25 weekend. The team’s hard work in practice has resulted in a seamless unit of thirteen interchangeable players who all share time at guard, forward and center. On Saturday, the Celtics faced a formidable team from Holy Trinity in Westfield. Katie Callahan set the tone for the Celtics, running the show at point guard in the first quarter and contributing 4 steals on defense. Thomas Campbell, Jerry Browne and Steven Copeland all scored for the Celtics. On Sunday, the Celtics faced St. John’s in Clark and turned in another well-rounded effort. Five Celtics scored on Sunday, including Fiona McGowan who scored following a beautiful pass from Thomas Campbell. Timothy Van der North also had an assist, finding Alex Szczepanski in the clear for a bucket.The play of the game was a high-post give and go executed flawlessly by Flynn Larson and Thomas Campbell. Larson also scored on the Celtics trademark inbounds play on a nice look from Jerry Browne. Kieran Dawkins added a free throw and a basket on an offensive rebound. Steven Copeland led the Celtics with 8 rebounds and also scored on a 12-foot jumper on a nice pass from Fiona McGowan. Harrison Zabik played his best game of the season, handling the ball well, finding open teammates and also narrowly missing on several scoring chances. Will Walsh showed his versatility, running the point in the first half and playing power forward and center in the second half. Adam Marek added 3 steals for the Celtics and Luke Davenport added 2 steals and 5 rebounds.
The sixth grade Celtics boys hosted a tough St. Joseph Roselle opponent and lost 42-21. Cole Latimer led the Celtics in scoring, contributing 6 points in the second half. Perry Reyes and Nicholas Aaron were the other top scorers for the Celtics, posting 5 and 4 points respectively. Saint Joseph scoring was rounded out by Harry Fardin, Patrick Dawkins and Matt Morales, each scoring 2 points. Anthony Fuschetto and Matt Morales were tough on the boards, both pulling down six rebounds, while Aaron and Dawkins also grabbed several rebounds each. Ben Sczepanski, James Griffis and Gunner Craig played tough defense throughout.
Other January games include the St. Joseph’s Varsity girls team’s narrow loss to an undefeated Holy Trinity team of Westfield by a final score of 25-22. The Celtics came out strong in the first quarter with baskets by Merry Meyer and Sarah Johnson, including a 30-foot buzzer beater from Johnson at the end of the quarter. Despite giving up a height disadvantage, the Celtics tenacious defense and rebounding kept the game close through the first half. The Celtics heated up in the third quarter with Abbie Garaban scoring 7 points and Hudson Hassler scoring 2. Strong defense from Abbie Valente, Zoe Gill and Erin Lackey held their opponents in check. The Celtics ran out of time in the fourth quarter as a last second three pointer at the buzzer did not drop which would have tied the game.
St. Joseph’s CYO is a shared parish ministry for the Catholic parishioners of Our Lady of Sorrows in South Orange and South Joseph’s in Maplewood. St. Joseph’s has 15 teams for girls and boys in Grades 2 – 12.
