By:
The St. Agnes Girls CYO team continued their victorious ways by winning the Long Island CYO Diocesan Championship. The girls had a great season despite the fact that Tara Lonergan, one of their best players, was sidelined for seven weeks with an ankle injury.
CYO changed its guidelines regarding the number of teams that made the playoffs from six to three, which put additional pressure on the team. They responded brilliantly, winning the first game of the playoffs on Jan. 20 against St. Hughs of Huntington with a score of 39-24. Outstanding defense and team play was turned in by the entire team. St. Hughs had beaten St. Agnes during the regular season 45-40.
The championship game against St. Bernards was played Saturday, Feb. 5 at St. Hyacinth in Glen Cove. St. Bernards was the only undefeated team in the division and the number one seed in the playoffs. The St. Agnes girls were ready for the task at hand and won one of the most exciting championship games played. The final score was 38-32. The girls held on after two of the starters for St. Agnes, Rachel Madacsi and Lizzy Ahern, fouled out in the fourth quarter. Tara Lonergan led all scorers with 26 points, shooting 12-13 from the foul line. This was a wonderful win for the girls from St. Agnes. It may be the last time they play together since they will be moving on to different high schools next year.
