St. Raymond's, Stepinac Advance to City Intersectional Boys Basketball 'AA' Final

| 03/7/2025

By: Steven Schwankert

Sunday’s game will be the Crusaders’ sixth consecutive championship appearance

Archbishop Stepinac's Hassan Koureissi (in white) looks for the lane in his team's 72-52 win over Christ The King, Thursday, March 6, 2025.
Archbishop Stepinac's Hassan Koureissi (in white) looks for the lane in his team's 72-52 win over Christ The King, Thursday, March 6, 2025. Photo by Elijah Segers.

Basketball teams from Archbishop Stepinac High School and St. Raymond’s School for Boys set up an all-Archdiocese of New York final with wins in the Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) intersectional semi-finals Thursday evening.

In the early game, St. Ray’s defeated St. Francis Preparatory School of Fresh Meadows, leading by as much as 25 points during the first half. After a disappointing regular season, Coach Jorge Lopez’s team seems to be peaking at the right time, upsetting the Diocese of Brooklyn’s top team, 68-59 at Fordham University.

Stepinac made it look easy, leading Christ the King Regional High School of Middle Village throughout all four quarters, booking their sixth consecutive intersectional title game appearance with a 72-52 win.

The two will meet again on Sunday, March 9, at 3 p.m., having last clashed in the archdiocesan championship on February 22. Stepinac won that contest, 66-61, along with both regular season matchups. The championship game will return to Fordham’s Rose Hill Gymnasium.

The New York State Catholic Conference joins Governor Hochul in urging delay of federal eligibility changes that could affect 1.7 million adults.

By:

The Good Newsroom

| 09/17/2025

02:25
Hundreds gathered at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral on Sunday as the Filipino community of New York and beyond celebrated the feast of Saint Lorenzo Ruiz.

By:

Mary Shovlain

| 09/17/2025

El Papa León XIV pide un alto el fuego y una solución diplomática tras el inicio de la nueva ofensiva israelí en Gaza.

By:

Our Sunday Visitor

| 09/17/2025