Chapel Chargers & St. Joe’s Warriors Prevail in 2014 Kealy Tourney!

Sunday, February 23, 2014, Bronxville, NY … As the 22nd Annual Winter Olympic Games were coming to a close, it was an unseasonably warm afternoon in the quiet Village of Bronxville, where the CYO Programs from St. Joseph’s and The Chapel School “brought home gold” in the 3rd Annual Chapel Chargers Sean and Cara Kealy Memorial Basketball Tournament.

After Holy Name of Croton defeated Chapel in the Championship Game of the 6th Grade Boys Division, St. Joseph’s 7th Grade Boys faced off with Holy Rosary from Hawthorne.  Coaches Tom Mathison and Doug Cooper combined a balanced attack of inside power moves from Justin Van Hoek (9 points) and a deft outside touch from Joseph Vendetti, who led all scorers (31 points).  Matt Panker, who led Holy Rosary to the Championship Game with a game-high 28 points in a 72-70 OT win against the host team from Chapel, was again the hot hand for Holy Rosary, scoring 29 of their 43 total points.  Final Score: St. Joe’s 50 – Holy Rosary 43.  Congratulations St. Joseph’s Warriors! 

The much-anticipated 8th Grade Boys Championship Game between a CYO Playoff contender from Holy Name of Mary (Croton) and their hosts from The Chapel School was a nail-biter from the opening tip to the final buzzer.  Down 13-8 after the 1st quarter, the Chargers narrowed the Holy Name lead to 1 point (26-25) with a 17-13 run in the 2nd quarter behind 8 points from Rashad Griffith and 7 points from Arinze Uddoh.  In the 3rd quarter, Alex Kirchgaesser (8 of his 11 points), Justin Trotman (4 points) and Diego Medina (2 of his 7 points) put Chapel ahead 39-35.  In the final 7 minutes, amidst an onslaught from Holy Name’s Austin Rago (6 of his game-high 20 points) and Miles Ackerman (6 of his 8 points), Jimmy Scanlon sank 2 clutch free throws, Christian Graham scored 3 of his 5 points, and Arinze Uddoh answered with 10 of his team-leading 17 points, including the final 5 points for the victorious Chargers … leading them from a 50-49 deficit with 49 seconds remaining to a 54-50 championship win!  Congratulations Chapel Chargers!

Other Tourney Highlights: The 6th Grade Girls played earlier in the week (2/18-2/20).  Chapel’s 6th Grade Girls came in 3rd Place in their division, after a thrilling consolation round win over Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Ardsley).  Chapel’s 7th Grade Boys also came in 3rd Place, defeating St. Eugene’s in the consolation round on Saturday afternoon (2/22).  And St. Joseph’s 8th Grade Boys placed 4th in that division.  Proceeds from the tournament this year are being sent to Typhoon Haiyan Relief Efforts in the Philippines, at the wishes of the Kealy Family.