The fifth-grade travel team from St. Bernard's culminated their outstanding season by winning their second title this season on March 22, when they were crowned Super League Champions at the Island Garden in West Hempstead. In the title game the team put forth a smothering defensive effort against a classy team from the Garden City Athletic Association. The Lady Bobcats did not give up a single basket in the first half, and kept their opponents off the scoreboard until the fourth quarter; by that time the title was a foregone conclusion. St. Bernard's got on the scoreboard early with guard Taylor Malings scoring the first two baskets, even though she was feeling a bit under the weather, and could have easily stayed home in bed to rest. Instead, she came to the game, and gave it her all, showing a lot of guts and determination to help her team accomplish their goal. This type of performance exemplifies the attitude of each and every player on this squad, as they all give 110 percent effort each and every time they step onto the court, no matter what the circumstances.

The girls had a very impressive regular season in CYO fifth-grade "A" division as they won 10 games while losing only two. This placed them in a tie for first place in their division with St. Killian of Farmingdale, as the two teams split a pair of games during the season. When the playoffs started, after a well-earned buy in the first round the team hosted a very strong and disciplined team from Holy Family of Hicksville in the semi-final game. The Lady Bobcats started out slowly and seemed a bit nervous in this their first playoff game as they trailed 10-0 early in the game. But the girls managed to rally as they turned up their defensive intensity, causing many turnovers and outscoring their opponents 32-11 throughout the remainder of the game, going on to a 32-21 victory.

On Feb. 8, the fifth-grade "A," "B," and "C" division CYO championships were held at St. Joseph's Academy in Brentwood, to decide the Long Island Champions. The girls from St. Bernard's played the last game of the day against an extremely tough St. Joseph's team from Ronkonkoma, in front of a very large and supportive crowd of family and friends. The game turned out to be a very hard-fought defensive battle with the Lady Bobcats prevailing in the end by seven points, and capturing the much-coveted CYO Long Island Championship. On a day when scoring a basket was very difficult, Bobcat Melissa Cohen stepped up and led the team in scoring with a hard-earned 11 points, including some pressure foul shots late in the game. The defensive effort that this team thrives upon and puts forth all season was very evident again on this day. Point guards Kayla Sheldrick and Julie Ballantyne led the way by pressuring the St. Joseph's guards into committing many turnovers throughout the game. Kim Paladini had a tremendous all-around game. She was dominant on the backboards pulling down rebound after rebound, and scored six points. The suffocating team defense that all 12 of these girls play is attributed to their hard work ethic in the gym during their many hours of practice.

During the holiday season, the Lady Bobcats stayed busy by participating in two holiday tournaments. The first one was the St. Bernard's annual Thanksgiving tournament, which featured teams from St. Rose of Massapequa, St. Aidan's of Williston Park and Holy Family of Hicksville. The tournament was again a great success and the Lady Bobcats took home a crown, beating St. Rose in the first game and outscoring the neighboring parish Holy Family in the championship round. Outstanding team defense was once again the primary reason for the Bobcats having a successful tournament. The team was led by the excellent play of Amanda Herold, Taylor Malings, forwards Christina Rea, Michelle Cozza and center Jackie Hart. First year player Taylor Kenny had an outstanding tournament averaging 12 points a game, and was named Tournament MVP.

In the second holiday tournament, the team traveled west to play some of the best teams in Queens at the Bob Keach Holiday Classic hosted by Sacred Heart in Glendale. The team performed exceptionally well in the double elimination formal tournament finishing with a 4-1 record and another championship. The team fought off a gritty St. Joseph's team from Astoria in the semi-finals, and got revenge by beating the host team Sacred Heart in the championship game, after they had lost to them earlier in the tournament. Newcomer Katie McNamara had a terrific tournament leading the Bobcats in scoring in two of the tournament games. Breanne Connolly (who was the previous year's Christmas Tournament MVP at St. Gregory's) again had an excellent holiday tournament, scoring important jump shots against tight zones and playing solid defense. Melissa Cohen was named the tournament MVP for her outstanding all around performance. Julie Ballantyne was named to the All Tournament team for her excellent performance in the tournament.

This was only the second season that this team has played together, with the addition of three first year travel players, Julie Ballantyne, Katie McNamara, and Taylor Kenny. The accomplishments that these young ladies have managed in such a short period of time together is truly remarkable, and shows that any goals that the group collectively works toward can be achieved. The fifth grade Lady Bobcats of St. Bernard's represent the true meaning of the word "team."

Bill Beiersdorfer and Dan Hart expertly coached the fifth grade Lady Bobcats. Both of these gentlemen put in a tremendous amount of time and patience to give the team the skills and confidence that it takes to bring a team a winning season. The team and all of the parents want to thank them for the attention and effort that was shown to them.

Coaches Bill and Dan would like to thank all the parents for their tremendous support throughout the year, and would especially like to thank our scorekeeper Dennis Sheldrick and our timekeeper Terry Kenny for always being there to help. Lastly the coaches would like to say how incredibly gratifying and enjoyable it has been to coach such a magnificent group of young ladies.

The members of St. Bernard's 5th grade travel team are: Julie Ballantyne, Melissa Cohen, Breanne Connolly, Michelle Cozza, Jackie Hart, Amanda Herold, Taylor Kenny, Taylor Malings, Katie McNamara, Kimberlee Paladini, Christina Rea, and Kayla Sheldrick. Coaches are Bill Beiersdorfer and Dan Hart.