St Mary's Sixth Grade Girls CYO Basketball Team is on a roll. Having lost a couple of very close games in October and November our team is really playing well and has won their last two games in dramatic fashion. On Dec. 9 the girls battled St. Joseph's of Garden City, a feisty competitor. With the game on the line in the last two minutes, St. Mary's defense completely shut down their opponent while scoring the final 4 points to win the game 19-18. Leading our team on offense was Victoria Lollo playing point and controlling the tempo while Lydia Coleman and Kristin Conte provided inside scoring and rebounding. Not to be forgotten were the contributions of our defensive specialists Tara Thomas, Colleen Joyce, Jackie Bonomo, Samantha Letzler, Madeline Byrnes and Fiona O'Connell. The next game on Dec. 16 against Notre Dame was a grudge match. Having lost to ND earlier in the year, Asst. Coach Steve Conte came up with a brilliant 2-1-2-zone defense that limited our opponent to only one shot each time down. Lydia Coleman, Kristin Conte, Colleen Joyce, and Adriana Rocca were extremely tough in the zone and had a combined 25 rebounds and 20 blocked shots! Fiona, Tara, Madeline, and Samantha forced their opponents to turn over the ball numerous times. Offensively, Notre Dame couldn't stop the inside combination of Lydia Coleman and Adriana Rocca, who were constantly getting great passes from Victoria leading to a 16-10 victory. The girls have three more games this season with a possible chance at making the playoffs! Regardless of the outcome of those games, all the coaches and parents have been very happy with the competitive spirit, sportsmanship, and determination of these girls the entire season.

Merry Christmas Girls!

Coach "T"