LOWELL — Rewind to February. That’s when St. Mary’s girls basketball coach Jeff Newhall said this regarding his team’s goals.
“At the beginning of the year, we talked about winning everything we can,” Newhall said.
Let’s recap. From winning a tip-off classic, the Spartan Classic, Christmas tournaments, and the Catholic Central League, it was a pretty good season for St. Mary’s.
Saturday afternoon, that list was polished off at the Tsongas Center.
No. 1 St. Mary’s defeated No. 3 Bishop Fenwick 45-41 to win the Division 3 state championship, giving the program its third consecutive state title.
“This is not easy. We take everyone’s best shot every night,” Newhall said. “They deserve all the credit in the world… they were able to succeed in what they set out to do.”
He’s right, it wasn’t easy. At the end of the third quarter, the Fenwick crowd roared as its team trailed by just two (32-30).
“That’s the worst quarter we’ve played all year,” Newhall said of his team’s two-point third quarter. “I didn’t think we could possibly play any worse.”
St. Mary’s Niya Morgen (8 points) was told by Newhall before the fourth quarter, “we’re here because of the way you score.” Then, the Most Valuable Player of the conference did her thing, scoring five quick ones to begin the fourth.
“I guess she listened,” Newhall said.
In a game full of superstars, Fenwick’s Cecilia Kay (game-high 23 points) responded. She scored nine in the fourth, including a layup to cut things to one (45-41) with a minute to play.
“Her heart is immense,” Fenwick head coach Adam DeBaggis said. “The whole mantra tonight was to leave everything on the court.”
Not to say St. Mary’s was saved by the bell – as the Spartans won the fourth quarter by two points – but from there, the clock ran out on the surging Crusaders.
“A couple of made baskets and we’re there,” DeBaggis said.
St. Mary’s Yirsy Queliz (team-high 18 points) chucked the ball high into the air and the clock hit its zeros – a perfect conclusion to a legendary book.
“She’s the first player to win three state titles in our program,” Newhall said. “Those stats she cares more about than her points.”
After some pictures and, of course, “We are the Champions” by Queen blasting from the speakers, the Spartans left the court for the last time before gathering in the locker room.
“The locker room is a special place,” an emotional Newhall said. “People jumping, people laughing, and people crying.”
On the other side, heads were certainly held high. DeBaggis struggled to find words when asked how proud he was of his team.
“The defense was there and the heart was there,” DeBaggis said.
Caitlin Boyle scored 11 points for Fenwick, with Celia Neilson adding four. For St. Mary’s, senior Kellyn Preira added nine to close out her career in style.
And in the end, Division 3 still runs through those Spartans.
“There’s a lot of emotion,” Newhall said. “It’s not the end of an era by any stretch.”
