Itś never easy to beat an opponent three times in a season, and the FAA Tournament final certainly proved that point as the #1 seed Hornets had to deliver a full team effort to defeat the #2 seed Storm of St. Lukeś 68-62 on Saturday at the Beckerman Center.

        Despite having already beaten St. Luke’s twice during the regular season by double digits, the boys knew it was still going to be quite a challenge to dethrone the two time defending FAA champs. HH edged out to what looked like a comfortable 11 point lead at the half, only to see the Storm mount a determined comeback and close to within one point midway through the second frame. Both teams made big plays as the game rocked back and forth and St. Lukeś closed to 65-62 with a minute and a half to go. But the Hornets dug down and made big defensive stops, care of Tre Breland and Luke Schoonmaker. Tim Dawson and Breland then cemented the win with clutch free throw shooting. Kudos to senior Andrew Rice, who was the Hornets' offensive leader, throwing down 22 points and posing a threat that the Storm just could not stop. After the game, Rice deflected the credit from himself when told the Register, ¨We played with energy. We were aggressive. We played good defense, and defense wins games.” Coach Sean Doherty added, Ï am very proud of our guys tonight to finish out a hard fought game with a well coached St.Lukes squad. So many big performances. I don’t even want to single just one guy out; great TEAM win .“ The victory gives the Hornets the Double: winning both the regular season as well as tournament trophies. The team now turns its attention to the upcoming New England tournament. With an impressive 20-4 record, the team has been placed in the Class B bracket and seeded 6th. They will play at #3 seed Canterbury School in New Milford on Wednesday at 5:00.

        The girls team was not so fortunate Saturday, falling to the #1 seed and regular season champions St. Lukeś by a score of 68-40. The Hornets played their typical feisty game; however, they could not overcome the impressive talent on the floor for the host Storm. When Asha Parker, who is the Hornets'chief force down low, picked up two quick fouls and had to sit out so much of the first half, Lukeś was able to extend their lead to 38-18 at halftime. Coach Borelliś team continued to scratch their way back in the second half, and the team left the floor at the end of the game defeated but proud of their extraordinary effort against a truly formidable opponent. Kai Clemons played fiercely in her last varsity game, scoring 8 points, including a three pointer. Seventh grader, Jayda Johnson led all Hornets with 17 points, including 2 threes - a sign of still more great things to come in the future. At the same time, the team says good-bye to not only Clemons, but also fellow seniors Alex Johnson, Mimi Ramos, and Cassi Smith. 

        Congratulations to both teams and their coaches on outstanding seasons. Hopefully the boys will enjoy three more games. Go Hornets!