Fitz Chamberlin (34) taking a shot.
MAPLEWOOD, NJ – The St. Joseph Celtics basketball teams enjoyed great action last weekend.
In JV Fifth Grade Girls White Division action on Sunday, the St. Joseph Celtics moved to 7-0 on the season with an 18-8 victory over Our Lady of Peace. Talia Baptiste led all scorers with 10 points, closing out the win with six points late in the fourth quarter to seal the win. Peyton Hollis, Catherine Holt, Paloma Duvergne and Summer Lonning all had two points to close out the balanced scoring effort for St. Joseph’s. Lonning and Hannah Straub each pulled down five rebounds and played excellent defense. Holt and Emile Clitus led the defensive effort with several steals each. Coach Hollis expressed after the game how proud he was of his team’s efforts in the fourth quarter to handle OLP’s great pressure defense and close out the win.
On Saturday, St. Joseph’s Second Grade Black team played at St. Agnes. Emmanuel Cook played excellent lockdown defense all game, while Dylan Maguire grabbed rebound after rebound. Thomas Hurley did a great job on the boards, hustling for loose balls. The scoring was paced by Amsterdam Knox, Lachlan Wallace, and Fitz Chamberlin, who each had a bucket for the Celtics.
On Sunday, the team faced Holy Trinity at home. The Celtics played an excellent team game, with Gabriel Umbao setting the tone on defense. His intensity and quick hands garnered a number of steals. Liam Murphy played great defense down low, getting a steal as well. Amsterdam Knox had some beautiful, crisp passes that led to a few baskets for the Celtics. Emmanuel Cook and Dylan Maguire each scored their first baskets of the season, which the whole team was excited about. Lachlan Wallace and Fitz Chamberlin had four buckets each, with Fitz’s last one coming right at the final buzzer.
The Third Grade team earned a hard-fought 12-7 victory against St John’s of Clark on Saturday. Hugh Weldon and Nick Pirone led the offense, scoring 11 of the 12 points for the Celtics. James Nolan and Conor Naughton led a staunch defensive effort, which held St John’s to zero points in the second half.
The JV boys Blue Meola lost a tough one 22-19 on Saturday afternoon against St. Helen’s at ECC. After a rough first half, the team went into the half down 16- 6. Henry Aaron, Aaron Budd, Conor Cavanaugh and Justin DeVomecourt came out of halftime playing aggressive defense, but the team still came up short. John Pirone had 11 points; Henry Aaron had 6, including 2 from the line, and Cian O’Connor had a gorgeous bucket in the fourth quarter. Liam Haley came away with 4 rebounds and a steal. Declan Cavanaugh showed some great leadership and ball handling skills at his first time at point.
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