The Corpus Christi Church fifth grade basketball team suffered their second loss of the season in bittersweet style in a stunning 25-23 overtime thriller at Notre Dame Gymnasium recently. The loss dropped the squad out of first place at mid-season as the team takes the mandated CYO two week schedule hiatus.

Corpus Christi came out flat in the first half resulting in a first quarter shutout and only tallied a deuce by half time. The lack of offense did not hurt as team defense allowed only eight points by the break. Endre Cooper was stellar for the Fifths with five first half rebounds en route to a career high total of eleven. Cooper logged long stretches of playing time, managed a steal and a basket and was the clear choice for star honors.

Inspiration was the theme of the third quarter behind Mike Fox's six point explosion to get the locals back in the contest. Alex Ward contributed two points and three steals to leave Corpus Christi down by only one with seven minutes to go. Joe Purcell took the lead in the final stanza with four points and two blocks in a see-saw battle as the clock clicked down. Each team had a final chance to win as both coaches strategized with times out to engage the suspense. At the final buzzer, the scoreboard read 20-all.

The extra period was a two man game. Corpus Christi turned it over to Windex man Cambrique Cooper. Cooper, normally used for his board work (15 in this game), contributed a basket and free throw to keep the game tight through the final seconds. For Notre Dame, the game came down to Danny Catapano, their premier foulshooter (5 for 9). Catapano had all five of Notre Dame's points in the overtime and was the difference in the victory with 13 points after team leader Mario Avellone fouled out in regulation.

This game was decided at the charity stripe, a rarity for this level of competition. Notre Dame was 5 for 17 in physically called match while Corpus Christi could manage only one of ten conversions. Coach Mike Falotico was disappointed with the setback but found plenty of positives to focus upon. The team battled back from their worst first half of the year to give themselves a chance to win. The Fifth Graders have a history of getting off to fast starts but proved they are not only a front running quintet. The team is now 4-2 and returns to action on January 13 at 4 p.m. at their home court at Christi Gardens.