Eagles Triumph: St. Eugene Secures Back-to-Back CYO Division 1 Titles
St. Eugene Catholic Elementary School Senior Girls Basketball team has won the Division 1 CYO Championship for the 2nd straight year. The girls have completed a 3-year run which began in 2021 when the CYO season was disrupted due to Covid restrictions. In the 2021/2022 season, St. Eugene CES won the Crown Point Invitational and an interschool exhibition game. During their first full season back in 2022/2023 the girls went undefeated, winning the Cathedral High School and Brébeuf Catholic Secondary School feeder school tournaments as well as their first CYO championship. This season the girls were led by tournament MVP, Sade “Basketball” Jones and took home another Cathedral tournament and the Bishop Ryan Classic, they went undefeated in the regular season and all through the playoffs.
The Eagles won most games by a margin of 20 points or more, however in the final against Immaculate Conception Catholic Elementary School this year, things were close. St. Eugene CES trailed by 3 points at halftime. Throughout the 2nd half, Immaculate Conception’s lead fluctuated between 1 and 5 points. With time ticking down in the 7th shift, “All Day” Aaliyah Konney-Brathwaite, caught a rebound and threw a shot up just in time to beat the buzzer.
With less than a minute in the game, Immaculate Conception CES had the ball and a 1-point lead. St. Eugene CES extended their defence to half court (attempting to trap the evasive attackers.) The Eagles would succeed in forcing a travel with 9.8 seconds on the games clock. Spicy C “Sienna” Maga took the inbound pass and drove into Immaculate conception’s half, with two defenders hanging off her, Maga would take a pull up 3 and hit nothing but net. With only 1.9 seconds left in the game the Lady Eagles forced a contested half-court shot and sored to their second straight C.Y.O. Division 1 title! In a post-game interview Maga was asked if she was confident her shot would go in? The star shooting guard answered, “I didn’t think about making or missing, I saw the time on the clock and just shot it.”
This victory not only celebrates the dedication and skill of the St. Eugene CES Senior Girls Basketball team but also highlights the commitment and excellence of all HWCDSB students who passionately participate in sports and showcase their talents on and off the court.
