This article was submitted by a team parent.
St. Joseph’s fourth grade green team peaked at the right time this weekend as they blitzed a formidable team from St. Helen’s of Westfield in the first round of the playoffs, advancing the Celtics to the semi-final round. The Celtics suffocating defense led by Nicholas Franklin and Liam Laskowksi held the opponents to only 5 points through the first 3 quarters as the Celtics built an insurmountable lead. Complementing the outstanding defense was stellar execution on the offensive end as six Celtics registered in the scoring column, led by 8 points from Brendan Dawkins and 6 points from Mike Pirone.
Pirone added 4 blocked shots and 8 rebounds, and Dawkins added 2 assists. Max Larson also chipped in with a gorgeous assist and several key rebounds, and Nicholas Alexander continued to establish himself as a scoring threat, adding 4 points, including 2 for 2 from the foul line. Derek Mingmongkol and Liam Laskowski ran the point for the Celtics, and Mingmongkol added a basket on an offensive rebound. Patrick Campbell continued to thrill the crowd with deft dribbling moves and added 5 steals to his 2 points. St. Helen’s fought back in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to 6 points. But Danny Guarnieri helped ice the game, drawing a key foul and sinking a clutch free throw late in the game. Owen Holt picked up 3 of his 4 steals in the final minute, helping the Celtics preserve a hard-fought 23-14 victory.
On Sunday, the St. Joseph’s second graders concluded their initial basketball season with an outstanding effort against a talented team from St. Genevieve of Elizabeth. Playing shorthanded with three key players missing due to the holiday weekend, the Celtics wasted no time asserting themselves as Flynn Larson converted a layup off the opening tip on a pass from Steven Copeland. The Celtics ball movement and teamwork was outstanding. Timothy Van der North and Jerry Browne paced the Celtics with 2 assists apiece. Kieran Dawkins, the beneficiary of all four assists, converted 2 jumpshots and 2 layups.
The Celtics precision inbounds plays led to both layups by Dawkins. Relentless offensive rebounding led to several scoring chances, including a putback by Jerry Browne. Will Walsh and Fiona McGowan stifled the opponent near the basket, each registering a blocked shot. Katie Callahan added 3 steals and again led the Celtics with 5 rebounds. Adam Marek and Alex Szczepanski contributed excellent ball-handling and passing to the well-rounded Celtics effort. This game marked the conclusion of an outstanding season for the Celtics who worked extremely hard and developed excellent basketball skills during the season. Players and coaches alike are already looking forward to next season with this special group.
The Pee Wee blue Meola team lost in the first round of the playoffs to a tough St. Helen’s team on Sunday, 16-8. Henry Aaron provided 6 of the 8 points, with 4 foul shots and a long range jump shot; he also contributed 5 rebounds and 2 steals. Liam Haley provided the balance 2 points, with 3 rebounds and a steal. Justin DeVomecourt and Ian Webber played aggressive defense and constantly fought for the ball. DeVomecourt contributed 4 rebounds, and Webber had 2 steals. John Pirone was strong on the boards and pulled down 7 rebounds. Declan Cavanaugh returned to the team, had a rebound, and provided some good options for offense. Lukas Alexander, Matthew Corr and Cade Minerley played well and combined for 3 rebounds and 2 steals. Despite its record, the team greatly improved since the first practice. A few players were new to basketball and learned about the game and teamwork. The more experienced players practiced and built upon existing skills. It was a fun season for all.
St. Joseph’s JV boys blue division wrapped up its 2014-2015 season with a 26-8 play-off game loss to St. Helen’s of Westfield. St. Helen’s took control of the game early on, particularly on the defensive end of the floor, where it forced several turnovers leading to easy baskets in transition en route to a 12-2 halftime lead. St. Joseph’s didn’t have an answer for St. Helen’s 1-3-1 zone defense. St. Helen’s clogged the passing lanes and made it difficult for the Celtics to establish any rhythm on offense. St. Helen’s never took its foot off the accelerator in the second half, going on an 8-2 lead to take a 20-4 lead into the fourth quarter. But St. Joseph’s came out as the aggressor in the fourth quarter and found a few gaps in St. Helen’s zone defense. Alexander Werbaneth took advantage of the seams by making layups on back-to-back possessions to cut the St. Helen’s lead down to 10. St. Helen’s then answered the bell one final time, closing with a 6-0 run to put the game out of reach. Even in defeat, St. Joseph’s received valuable contributions in the game from Buchi Amobi. Playing hard throughout, Amobi grabbed several rebounds and made pinpoint passes to teammates for quality shots that just didn’t go in the basket. Damian Cataneo also lent a helping hand, limiting St. Helen’s to one shot by corralling a number of rebounds on missed shots. Nico Reyes ran the show as point guard, helping the Celtics do a better job of getting quality shots on offense in the second half. Reyes patiently probed the defense, looking inside and outside to pass to open teammates.
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.
