By The Times-Ledger
The Sacred Heart seventh-grade boys basketball team ended its CYO season with a perfect 20-0 record, winning the Rookie Division Brooklyn/Queens Diocesan championship at St. Francis College on Sunday, March 25, defeating Brooklyn champion St. Ann’s, 46-37. Tommy Meara led the team with 22 points and Matt Purcell contributed 10 points.
The team entered the playoffs as the regular season champion in the Flushing AA Division. After receiving a first round bye, they then defeated Queen of Peace, 67-31, and St. Ann’s of Flushing, 50-16. In the Flushing Sectional championship, Sacred Heart defeated St. Andrew’s for the second year in a row, 43-32, and extended the team’s winning streak to six against their cross-town rivals. In the Queens semifinals at Christ the King High School on March 17, Sacred Heart defeated St. Sebastian, 47-17. The Queens championship, played at McClancy High School on March 18, resulted in a 52-43 win against St. Francis DeSales of Rockaway .
The many hours of gym time coach Dan Meara has spent throughout the year, stressing teamwork and conditioning, paid off in the end. It is said that a good defense wins championships and the strength of Peter Woods, James DiGiacomo and Adam Lee on the boards, combined with the quick reflexes and tenacity of Mike Garaufis, Lorcan Malone and Joey Camerata in the back court, proved the adage true for this team.
The team is 30-1 overall this year, including a 7-0 record in the ongoing Flushing YMCA Jr. Knicks League. The team’s only loss came in the lona Prep Holiday Tournament against St. Ursula of Mount Vernon, one of the top eighth-grade teams in the metropolitan area.
