The first half was what the Falcons wanted. They were able to drive to the basket and get layups or get foul calls. They had little trouble breaking Cathedral Chapel’s full-court press. The Falcons committed very few fouls while forcing Chapel to commit ten. Chapel had several starters in foul trouble. The Falcons kept the game close, even taking the lead. The Falcons looked set to continue to wear down Cathedral in the second half, even after going into halftime down by four, 21-19.

Then the second half began. The Falcons forced passes. They had the ball stolen. They could not break the press as easily, and had to call two timeouts early in the half. The offense spluttered. They fell behind, and had to try to get back into the game, but only fell further behind. They got into foul trouble, and fell even further behind. The Chapel lead became so large that they took out their starters and instead gave their seldom-used players some time on the court, and those subs continued to grow the lead. Maverick Simmons, the star point guard, injured his knee and had to be helped off of the court. The referees ended the game with thirty seconds remaining and Cathedral Chapel winning, 52-27, sending Chapel to the final four (they beat St. Benedict to reach the championship game, where they lost) and the Falcons to track season.

In the final four, Cathedral Chapel beat St. Benedict (who the Falcons beat in a scrimmage, yet still advanced past the Falcons) in one semifinal game, while St. Jerome defeated Our Lady of Fatima. St. Jerome beat Cathedral Chapel to win the championship, and St. Benedict beat Our Lady of Fatima in two overtimes to finish third.

Some highlights of the season:

Gallery • 7 Photos

Steve Hawkins

Will Dalgarn gets set to pass the ball inbounds in the second half

Congratulations to all teams who participated in CYO winter sports.