Holy Cross’ Corinne Lomax makes a pass during her team’s Class L girls basketball state championship game against Simsbury on Saturday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville.
(Copyright, Sports on CT-69)
The Holy Cross girls basketball team put together another tremendous season in 2023-24.
The Crusaders made it to both the Naugatuck Valley League and state tournament title games. Holy Cross won well over 20 games and was one of the last teams standing on the season’s final weekend. That season just happened to end one win short of a championship.
Second-seeded Simsbury, playing in its first state title game, came out firing and took down top-seeded Holy Cross, 55-40, in the Class L final at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville. The Trojans grabbed the lead 20 seconds into the game and never trailed. The game’s only tie was 0-0. Holy Cross did manage to get the deficit to within three points late in the third quarter, but Simsbury was able to put the game away.
The Crusaders ended their season at 24-3. The Trojans finished their dream season with a 23-4 record, and their first state championship.
Junior Shania Howard led Holy Cross with 17 points and five steals, and she also had five rebounds.
Holy Cross fell into a 15-2 hole, which meant facing its largest deficit of the postseason at the 2:03 mark of the first quarter. The Crusaders trailed, 16-4, after one quarter. Holy Cross won the second quarter, 13-8, and trailed by seven points at the half, 24-17.
The Crusaders crept even closer in the third quarter by way of a 7-0 run. Five of those points came from junior Isabella Lombardo, and her layup got Holy Cross to within three points, 31-28, with 1:45 left in the quarter. Lombardo began the run with a 3-pointer, then grabbed a defensive rebound on the next Simsbury possession and passed to Corinne Lomax for a layup. The three-point deficit was as close as the Crusaders got.
Lombardo finished with seven points while the sophomore Lomax tallied six. Lomax and junior Julia Benvegnu each fouled out while Lombardo and Howard each wound up with four fouls.
It was the final Holy Cross game for senior co-captains Isabella Oliver and Rachel Healey, along with senior reserve Hailey Christiano.
BOX SCORE
No. 2 Simsbury 55, No. 1 Holy Cross 40
At Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville
Simsbury (55): Olivia Jarvis 6 7 19, Charlotte Diviney 0 0 0, Addison Girard 3 3 9, Amanda Gallagher 5 10 21, Alexa Gallagher 1 1 4, Alyssa Candelario 0 0 0, Charlotte Reitz 1 0 2, Josiane Kodak 0 0 0, Melinda Uanino 0 0 0, Reesa Looney 0 0 0, Emma Horniatko 0 0 0. Totals: 16 21 55.
3-pointers: Am. Gallagher 1, Al. Gallagher 1.
Percentages: FG – 37.2 (16-43); 3FG – 20.0 (2-10); FT – 70.0 (21-30).
Rebounds: 28 (Jarvis 8).
Assists: 12 (Am. Gallagher 4).
Steals: 17 (Girard 8).
Personal fouls: 17.
Fouled out: None.
Turnovers: 13.
Holy Cross (40): Shania Howard 4 9 17, Isabella Oliver 0 2 2, Isabella Lombardo 3 0 7, Rachel Healey 1 1 3, Corinne Lomax 3 0 6, Hailey Christiano 0 0 0, Madelyn Neibel 1 0 3, Julia Benvegnu 0 0 0, Bryanna Santiago 0 0 0, Reese McGarrity 0 0 0, Mia Mattaboni 0 0 0, Quinn Barry 1 0 2, Madison Gorman 0 0 0. Totals: 13 12 40.
3-pointers: Lombardo 1, Neibel 1.
Percentages: FG – 41.9 (13-31); 3FG – 15.4 (2-13); FT – 46.2 (12-26).
Rebounds: 25 (Lomax 7).
Assists: 7 (Oliver 4).
Steals: 9 (Howard 5).
Personal fouls: 24.
Fouled out: Lomax, Benvegnu.
Turnovers: 24.
Final records: Holy Cross 24-3; Simsbury 23-4.
GALLERY: Here are my photos from Saturday’s game.
