Springfield CYO basketball playoffs

JV Playoffs
St. SFA 57
St. Thomas 53
St. Francis of Assisi (SFA) sophomore Mike Dougherty combined with freshmen Dan Dickinson and Kevin McKnight to lead the JV Bruins to a hard-fought 57-53 first round playoff victory over St. Thomas. Dougherty had 10 points, eight rebounds and four steals to lead the green and gold. Dickinson led the scoring with 12 points, assisted nicely by McKnight with 11. Kyle Klosinski also chipped in with 10, and Nick Cahill had five - all in the fourth quarter, including two clutch shots at the foul line to seal the win.
The team started out slow, trailing 15-9 after one period. According to the coach, his team did a very good job against an opponent that shoots the three very well.
SFA 49
Fatima 48
It was one of those games that players and fans will be talking about for a very long time as SFA ninth and 10th graders bested Our Lady of Fatima by a point in the CYO Regional quarterfinal playoffs.
The Bruins led by as many as nine points in the first half, but a tough third quarter left them behind the eight ball at 40-35 entering the final period.
Super soph Mike Dougherty took things into his own hands in the fourth, tallying eight of his team high 14 points with the game on the line. His was assisted nicely by freshman star Dan Dickinson who tallied 12, and netted a key free throw on the front end of a one and one to give SFA its final lead.
Fatima had two last chances with time running out, but Glenn McGarry pulled the final game-winning rebound to seal the victory and send the green and gold to the semi-finals.
Holy Cross 48, SFA 33
The JV Bruins fell to cross-town rival Holy Cross in the semi-finals. It seemed the emotion of the previous night's nail-biting one-point win took its toll on this young team, because after jumping out to a 4-0 lead, they fell flat and never recovered against a talented and tough opponent.
Solid freshman Dan Dickinson continued his solid play, notching 12 points for the night. Kevin McKnight chipped in with seven. and Mike Dougherty and Nick Santana each had four.
This loss eliminated the Bruins from the 2010-2011 playoffs, but they were still slated to see action in the St. John's Post-Season Tournament. Look to the Press for updates on post-season play.
Varsity Playoffs
St. Anastasia 52
SFA 43
Juniors Matt Reichert, John Oakley and Jeff Peranteau played exceptionally well, but it was simply not enough as the varsity Bruins fell in the first round of the regional CYO playoffs52-43 at the hands of St. Anastasia.
A disappointed Coach Milt Hedrick noted that "the season ended the way it began - we had our chances but just could not make some easy shots when it counted."
The Bruins never led in this game, but they battled and pulled to within 45-41 late, but it was a case of too little too late against a talented opponent.
Something that haunted this team all year came back to haunt them again, as they went a paltry 10 for 24 at the free-throw stripe.
Reichert tallied 13 points to lead the green and gold, and Peranteau chipped in with 10, followed by Oakley with seven.
The team was scheduled to close out the season in the St. John's Post-Season Tournament, starting this past weekend. Look to the Press for post-season updates.