It wasn’t close — right up until the moment that it was. 

The Archbishop Stepinac High School Crusaders never trailed in their Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) vs. Public School Athletic League (PSAL) boys basketball “AA” championship game. Heading into the fourth quarter, the White Plains team led by 10, 48-38. 

The Crusaders, who held the lead despite looking fatigued throughout the game, suddenly got a wakeup call with three minutes left to play when opponent Thomas Jefferson High School of Brooklyn pulled first within six and then narrowed the gap to three at 67-64, with just about a minute to play. 

The school’s fans, who made up most of the spectators at Long Island University Brooklyn’s athletic center on Sunday, sprang to life after sitting quiet and frustrated for most of the game. However, a foul sent junior guard Hassan Koureissi to the line for two shots. Koureissi, who has been a steady hand for Stepinac throughout the season, sank them both, putting the contest out of reach. A Thomas Jefferson three-point shot at the buzzer counted, but the game ended 69-67, with Stepinac repeating as New York City champion.

Carbuccia bids farewell; Kouriessi named MVP

Senior Danny Carbuccia ended his Stepinac career by co-leading his team with 15 points, and seven assists. He will continue his basketball career at the University of Massachusetts in September. Koureissi, who was named the most valuable player, had 15 points and seven rebounds. 

The game, however, may have been won by Stepinac’s 6’11” junior Adonis Ratliff. Ratliff, who was clearly nursing an injury, grabbed 14 rebounds. Thomas Jefferson, despite being one of the most physical teams Stepinac has faced this season, just couldn’t compete under the basket.

The win marked a treble for Stepinac, having this season won the archdiocesan, intersectional, and now CHSAA vs. PSAL championships, along with a second Coach of the Year award for Patrick Massaroni.

“It feels good when you end the season on a high, you end the season on a win, I’m just proud of our guys, our staff for stepping up. It seemed like a true road game,” Massaroni told The Good Newsroom after the game.

“High school basketball, being off for two weeks, sometimes it happens,” he said, referring to the narrow victory. “In the end, we got the win. Nobody remembers the final minutes.”

Archdiocesan schools take titles

Stepinac wasn’t the only archdiocesan school that took home a trophy. Sacred Heart School of the Bronx defeated Summit Academy, 70-62, to win the “A” division earlier on Saturday. In the girls tournament on Saturday, March 22, Moore Catholic of Staten Island held on to beat Murry Bergtraum High School for Business Careers, 42-41, to win the girls “A” division championship. Catholic schools, including those from the Diocese of Brooklyn, won five of the six championships.