The Corpus Christi Fifth Grade Basketball Team ended their season in thrilling fashion by defeating Our Lady of Victory on the last day of the regular season to qualify for the Nassau-Suffolk CYO playoffs beginning in early March. Mike Falotico's charges finished with a 9-3 record suffering their only defeats to the other playoff qualifiers within the division by a sum total of only eight points. Despite their stellar record, the boys faced a must win situation in visiting Floral Park to literally face Victory. Were Christi to lose to OLV, a three-way tie would exist in which Corpus Christi held none of the tie-breaking formulas for tournament basketball. On this particular Sunday the scoreboard was the only mathematical expression warranting concern. The boys stepped up to the challenge but not without tense moments.

OLV dominated the early play by scoring the first four points midway into the first quarter rattling the braintrust of the visitors. Joe Purcell prevented the whitewash after an early time out with two quick baskets and left Corpus Christi with only a 4-7 deficit heading to the second stanza. Defense has been the key to success for the locals all season and the second quarter was a testament to the work ethic of this group. Corpus Christi allowed a single basket while countering with a half dozen on offense to establish a 16-9 halftime advantage they would never relinquish. Every member of the squad participated in an absolute total team effort.

The third period was evenly matched and extended the comfort zone by a point. Alex Ward, Mike Fox, TJ Winters, Endre Cooper and Tim Goncalves shared baskets to take the scoring toll off Purcell's shoulders. Bryan Vesley and Dan Gouveia were all over the floor for loose balls snatching two steals apiece while Tom McKeever and Keith Medina were rebounding forces in a game where Corpus Christi pulled down 61 panes of glass. Camby Cooper nearly matched his high of the year with 21 rips but the coaching staff was more pleased with his two assists in critical situations.

The final seven minutes appeared to have things wrapped up and ready for the team-sponsored post-game pizza party. Falotico substituted at will and once again the shooting chart had discs from multiple players. Of the eleven players in uniform, eight posted points, nine sniffed out steals, and everyone nailed at least one rebound. Corpus Christi held a 26-16 lead with four minutes remaining when OLV emptied their bench. A slight letdown resulted in a pair of quick field goals for the opponents reserves and the closest lead surfaced with plenty of time remaining. Corpus Christi re-focused to close out the game in the intervening minutes for a 36-23 final. The celebration spilled onto the court as the journey into March Madness continues for this chaotic bunch.

RIM ROCKERS: The playoffs conclude a three year progression for Falotico and the bulk of the roster - two years in non-competitive clinics and leagues before this season's triumphs...This group marks the third consecutive fifth grade team to reach the post season for Corpus Christi...Camby Cooper ends the season with an outstanding average of 13 rebounds per game... Alex Ward led the team in blocks with 11...Endre Cooper was easily the most improved player from start to finish...Purcell led the team in scoring averaging 8 points each time out...Fox had the most points and steals on the squad...Ward, Fox, the Coopers, and Dan Gouveia were the iron men attending all twelve contests on the schedule...For the first time all year there are no entries on the injured list... Bodes well for practice and game situations providing a multitude of options and rotations...Practices are well attended events showing why the boys are amongst the best conditioned in the County...Corpus Christi played the toughest schedule in the division among the four playoff teams facing the upper division five times in twelve outings...The Falotico rumor mill continues - with Adelphi head coach Jim Ferry taking the Division I spot at LIU options continue to open for the former high school phenom, can Corpus Christi match any offers he may receive?...The Corpus Christi fan contingent arrived so early at OLV that seating for the home team came at a significant premium...Christi has continually asked for gate receipts at all away games...Road attendance for CC games is the highest in CYO Division 431...For logistical purposes, the post season pizza party was held at a Floral Park establishment closest to the gymnasium .. While the service was top notch, the food could not match any of our local Mineola parlors...Details on standings, playoffs and other CYO information is available at the official web page of www.yourleague.com/newcyons.htm...Corpus Christi is among the most efficient respondents to the website...The visit to OLV was a homecoming of sorts for official scorekeeper Tom Winters who played at the Floral Park facility for six seasons and had been back only once in the past twenty five years-oddly enough, the statistician for OLV was a former classmate who had not seen one another since high school graduation.