The St. Kilian 7th grade girls basketball team, the Stars, lost their first game of the season last Tuesday night against the 8-0 Our Lady of Lourdes team from West Islip, 36 - 34. The Stars came out flat in the first quarter and found themselves down 16 - 4 at the quarter's end. However, in the second quarter, the St. Kilian girls found their game and out-hustled, out-played, and out-scored Our Lady of Lourdes each of the remaining three quarters. It just wasn't enough as time ran out, in this exciting game, with the Stars still down one basket.

Krista Daniello led the St. Kilian attack with 10 points, shooting five of 11 from the field. Jessica Patane and Lauren Cohen each had six points. Diana Beltrani and Christina Tinney both had four points, while Kate Hogan and Lisa Buono contributed two points each to round out the St. Kilian scoring. Meg Fanning had a couple of nice assists, while Caitlin Magri and Jessica Cohen played some solid defense with some key rebounds for the Stars.

According to Coach Joe Fanning, "The girls just weren't able to overcome a bad first quarter, although they tried their hardest and did their best attempting to. After getting behind 12 points, the girls showed their heart by not quitting and almost pulled off a remarkable comeback."

On Saturday night, St. Kilian traveled to Hicksville and lost their second in a row, 23-16, against a very physical Our Lady of Mercy team. The Stars just couldn't put the ball through the hoop. They shot a horrendous six for 34 from the field and four for 14 from the free throw line. "It was just one of those nights when the ball wouldn't go down for us," said coach Fanning, "The girls hustled and rebounded well, but games like this happen occasionally to a good team. I also could have made some adjustments that I didn't, which could have helped the team win."

Diana Beltrani played her usual strong game. Her outstanding rebounding and three for seven shooting from the field was one of the only highlights of the game for St. Kilian. Kate Hogan scored four points, Lauren Cohen and Caitlin Magri both had two points, while Krista Daniello and Meg Fanning had one point each off of free throws.

The Stars' record now stands at five wins and two losses.