It was a beautiful, spring-like day on Sunday, Feb. 29, when Tom Cinelli's sixth grade St. Kilian's boys basketball team welcomed the undefeated St. Pius X team to their Farmingdale home court, with the division championship on the line. The St. Kilian team, still frazzled and undermined by the prior week's decision by CYO to remove the boys from playoff contention, came out flat in the first quarter, allowing the St. Pius X team to build a 17 to 5 lead. As the second quarter began, Coach Cinelli was able to rally his young players, who met the challenge of the strong St. Pius X team. For the first time in the last three games, the St. Kilian team began to exhibit the tenacious defense and accurate shooting which has been their trademark for most of the season. Although the St. Kilian team managed to outplay the powerhouse St. Pius X team over the final three quarters, as the final buzzer sounded, St. Pius X (12-0) defeated the St. Kilian (10-2) team by a score of 44 to 34.

The St. Kilian offense was spearheaded by Chris Pavese (7 points, 4 rebounds, 4 steals), Pat Dunne (7 points), Brandon Romano (6 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists), Glenn Cinelli (4 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals) and Brandon Veracka (4 points, 2 assists). The St. Kilian offense was able to meet the challenge of the tough, pressing St. Pius X defense during those last three quarters. This fact also was evident to the St. Pius X coach, who in an attempt to secure their victory, during the fourth quarter, had his offense resort to a four-corner box to run the clock down and thereby stall any chance of a St. Kilian comeback.

The St. Kilian defense was led by Morton Chambers (3 points, 14 rebounds, 5 blocks), Alex Woloshin (2 points), Mike Pavese (1 point, 2 rebounds, 2 steals), Joe DiDonna (7 rebounds, 4 blocks) and Kyle Peck (3 rebounds). Over the final three quarters of the game, the defense was able to contain the powerful St. Pius X offense to help keep the game within reach.

The St. Kilian team played a tremendous game, making their parents and their coaches proud of their efforts. The team finished the season with a record of 10 wins and 2 losses, placing them in a tie for second place in their division. Under ordinary circumstances, the boys would have been headed back to the gym, preparing for their second consecutive playoff appearance. However, the young boys sat at home and in their classrooms, anxiously awaiting the outcome of their appeal to CYO, who formally rejected the appeal on Monday, March 8.