Archbishop Stepinac High School’s senior basketball players bid farewell Sunday in the best way they know how — by winning yet another championship. 

Facing The Bronx’s Eagle Academy, this season’s Public School Athletic League (PSAL) champion, in a one-game final billed as the city’s “Undisputed Championship,” Stepinac kept the trophy in White Plains, taking the title 76-68 for the third year in a row.

On display was the final time that a Stepinac line-up featuring three McDonald’s All-Americans, Jasiah Jervis, Adonis Ratliff, and Darius Ratliff, joined by senior starters Hassan Koureissi and Dylan Perry, would take the floor for the Crusaders. 

A worthy opponent

Eagle Academy was a very worthy opponent and threatened at times, including the game’s fourth quarter, but this Stepinac team is too good at making mistakes prove costly.

After the first quarter, which finished with Stepinac leading 22-17, the Crusaders never trailed again, but the game was far from over. 

Despite leading 42-34 at the half, Eagle Academy closed to within two at the end of the third quarter, 55-53. Many more of the Eagles’ fans had made the journey to Long Island University’s Brooklyn campus Steinberg Wellness Center, and came alive as their team kept hopes of victory alive. The Eagles’ tied the game with 2:46 to play, a scenario the Crusaders rarely found themselves in this season. However, Darius Ratliff then scored and drew a foul for a three-point play, and the Stepinac players began to smile, seeing the W in their sights. Both Ratliff and Koureissi scored 23. The latter did a superb job throughout drawing fouls and then converting free throws. Ratliff took home most valuable player honors for the game. 

READ: Three Stepinac Basketball Stars Named to 2026 McDonald’s All-American Team 

Farewell and adieu

This group will be missed. Stepinac’s mastery of the fundamentals, namely rebounding and ball movement, combined with the players’ predator-like eye for miscues, makes for some outstanding performances. The Ratliffs and Jervis may be the All-Americans, but Koureissi’s steady hand, with contributions from teammate Perry and utility bench players, junior Josh Rivera and senior bulldog defender Jack Coco, have been a joy to watch. 

“It feels special,” Stepinac Head Basketball Coach Patrick Massaroni told The Good Newsroom after the game. “This group keeps accomplishing different things day in and day out, and I’m just so happy for these seniors to go out on a win in their last game here in New York.”

Unlike last season, which saw minimal turnover due to graduation, Massaroni’s team now faces significant change. “We’re always about reloading over rebuilding, and we have a really talented group of six returners, along with our underclassmen at the lower levels. So we’re excited about the future. We’re going to worry about that, hopefully next month,” he said.

Having just completed his 11th season as Stepinac’s head coach, regarding his own future, the two-time CHSAA Coach of the Year said only, “The phone’s ringing, never say never.”