MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The St. Joseph’s Celtics basketball teams began their postseason.
St. Joseph’s third- and fourth-grade boys team pulled away from St. Thomas in the fourth quarter of their game on Sunday, March 6, to win 34-19 in the semifinals of the Essex County CYO playoffs. After being down at halftime, the Celtics took over in the second half, led by Evan Fitzhugh with 10 points, six steals and five rebounds, and Clay Irving with 8 points, 6 in the fourth quarter. Xavier Connell played lockdown defense and chipped in 4 points and eight rebounds, while James Waller and Peter Stein both had 4 points as well. Declan Monagle had 2 points and three assists, and Teddy Chamberlin rounded out the scoring with 2 points, to go along with five rebounds and three steals.
The third- and fourth-grade grade girls team played a great game but fell short to St. Joseph’s East Orange, 12-11, in a semifinal game. The teams traded baskets throughout the whole game. Jane Kessler and Shanae Lonning were both named Celtic of the Game. The team finished the season with a 9-4 record.
St. Joseph’s fifth-grade girls knocked off Our Lady of the Lake in the semifinal of the fifth- and sixth-grade Liberty Division girls playoffs, 31-20, on Saturday, March 5. OLL fought hard all game and kept it close into the fourth quarter. But Lila Clammer, the player of the game, was too much to handle, with a huge 16 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter. She also had several rebounds and played great defense. The other players provided tremendous support, with everyone on the team scoring. Sarah Sullivan played aggressive defense on a star player from OLL and had 3 points. Ella Chappelear scored on the game’s first play and had 3 points. Maddie Adams knocked down a perfect foul shot, Mary Browne had 4 points, and Gigi Jimenez and Elisabeth Froelich each had a bucket.
The JV sixth-grade girls advanced to the American Division finals after defeating St. Catherine’s, 28-13. Maya Hersh and Kelsey Kouyoumdjian were outstanding on the defensive end, and both were named Celtic of the Game.
The JV boys coached by Jon Walsh won their first-round game, defeating Good Shepherd, 32-12. It was a great team effort, with Jack Zancolli taking home the title of Celtic of the Game. Playing on back-to-back days, the team lost 41-33 in the semifinals to St. Aloysius. Luke Weldon was player of the game with 10 points and three assists.
The JV boys coached by Kevin Donohue are moving on to the Liberty Division semifinals. The Celtics defeated St. Thomas, 30-10, in a first-round game. Noah Maloney and Jack Pachal were both named Celtic of the Game.
The St Joe’s varsity girls team overcame a first-half deficit to defeat St Thomas, 30-28, in Bloomfield on Sunday in the semifinals. Catherine Nolan scored 7 of her 15 points in the fourth quarter to go along with six rebounds, six steals and eight blocked shots. Amy Ogunsanya added 12 points, 17 rebounds and three steals. Phoebe Perlman added two free throws in the third quarter that changed the momentum of the game.
The varsity boys coached by James Fardin beat St. Casian’s, 44-33, in a first-round game to set up a second-round matchup with the other St. Joseph’s varsity boys team for the third time this season.
The varsity boys coached by Chris Wack and Wil Nolan moved on to the semifinal playoff round after a tight game with the St. Joseph’s team coached by Jim Fardin. It’s always a spirited game when the rival Celtics meet. Nathaniel Wack led all scorers with 23 points; he also had 10 rebounds. Lachlan Wallace had 14 points and eight assists, and Colin Brandt had 4 points, 14 rebounds and three blocked shots. Brendan Kuoyoumdjian had 4 points. Lawrence Hartman, Jack Ebert and Donovan Jimenez rounded out the effort with stellar defense, and the Wack/Nolan team welcomed back James Nolan, who had missed the last four games with an ankle injury.
The St Joseph’s Celtics seventh- and eighth-grade boys Kostka team punched their ticket to the Essex County CYO championship game Sunday, March 13, at 4:45 p.m. with two big playoff-game wins last weekend.
Head Coach Brian Kostka’s squad got off to a fast start on Saturday, outscoring Good Shepherd Academy of Nutley 22-2 in the first quarter, on their way to their 69-42 win. The Celtics had great contributions up and down the roster, as every player scored. Player of the Game Sean Hayes led all scorers with 17 points, but perhaps more impressive were his eight steals. Will Kostka also scored in double digits with 16 points. Jack Clammer netted 8, Gavin Lubomski and Evan Waller each had 6, Will Iozzio and Gabe O’Brien had 4 apiece, and Evan Straub had 2. With this win, the Celtics moved on to play undefeated St. Thomas of Nutley, in Nutley.
The Celtics’ stifling defense frustrated top-ranked St. Thomas, holding their high-powered offense to a mere 34 points, while the Celtics made their way to a rousing 37-34 victory. It was a hard-fought game that saw 36 fouls called between the two teams.
Sean Hayes again led the team in scoring, pumping in 18. Will Kostka added 6; Will Iozzio, Gabe O’Brien and Evan Waller each chipped in 4; and Charlie Knutsen 1. But this game was won on defense. Coach Kostka pushed all the right buttons as St. Joe’s clogged the middle, fought for every loose ball, and hustled their way to victory.
With two teams still awaiting semifinals games, St. Joseph’s has five teams in the Essex County CYO championship games this Saturday and Sunday, being played at Mount St. Dominic Academy in Caldwell.
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