Holy Family's 9th and 10th grade girls basketball team is not like most basketball teams. Most of the girls would prefer to kick soccer balls than shoot hoops. Most would prefer to watch CSI Miami re-runs than practice basketball. For most their practice time modus operandi is to arrive late while snacking on junk food, chat incessantly even before their iPod earplugs are removed and once they hit the hardwood do their best to avoid breaking a sweat.

Yet, when game time rolls around these same girls mysteriously morph into a scrappy vibrant, high-energy team whose competitive juices appear to be fueled by a mega dose of Red Bull. On Nov. 13, this schizophrenic team defeated St. Marks 62-42 to capture their second Long Island championship in four years. The victory was the exclamation point to an undefeated season.

Courtney Breen, on of Long Island's premier high school hoopsters and an All-County soccer player, led the team. Courtney's greatest attribute is her unmatched ability to raise her teammates' level of play. She is a prolific scorer at times but prefers to involve her teammates by delivering accurate and often spectacular passes. Courtney's talent is equaled only by her genuine humility.

During the championship game, however, Courtney committed two fouls in the first minute and was relegated to cheerleader for the remainder of the first half. Nikki Robison, however, got Holy Family off to a quick start, scoring six of her 10 points in the opening minutes. After dazzling the crowd with her stirring pre-game rendition of God Bless America, Angelika Paskins proceeded to dazzle her opponent by scoring a game high 14 points, 12 in the first half. Erin Breen shouldered the ball, handling responsibility against St. Marks' full count press. Erin was able to use her superior ball handling skills to slice through the press and her brilliant passing to set up teammates for easy baskets. She also contributed 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The second half was dominated by Courtney, who scored 13 points and controlled the backboards. Maggie Plaia and Annette Kiviat each contributed 5 points and superb defense while Kelly Brennan's hustle helped to negate her opponents' size advantage under the backboards. Jen Osorio scored 4 points, grabbed eight rebounds and led the team in hustle plays. Nikki DeGennaro, who spent the entire season recovering from knee surgery, made a cameo appearance in the game's waning moments.

Basketball may not be their primary sport and they may not be a great practice team, but Holy Family's 9th and 10th grade girls basketball team is the undefeated champion of Long Island. In the past five years, they have reached the final four every season and have won the Long Island championship twice. That's quite a legacy for a bunch of soccer players.

The team would like to thank their parents for their support throughout the season. Special thanks to CYO President Mike Lavelle, Girls Coordinator Sue Matera and the entire CYO Board for their dedication to the boys and girls of Holy Family Parish.