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SANDRA [email protected]
Tuesday, March 07, 2000 Page: 20
The junior-varsity St. Jude’s basketball team made swift work of Gate of
Heaven and squeaked by Regis Academy in playoff action Wednesday and Sunday
evenings, ensuring itself a chance at the coveted West Side Catholic League
title. The varsity Nomads also knocked down Gate of Heaven on Wednesday, but
a disappointingly close contest Sunday dashed the team’s hopes of capturing
the crown. Wednesday night, on its home turf, the sixth- and seventh-grade
Nomads more than doubled the scoring tally of their Gate of Heaven
challengers, finishing the second round of the playoffs with a 54-22 score,
coach Doug Guignet said. The team had drawn a bye in the first round. Guignet
credited his leading scorer, J.P. Aquilina of Wright Township, for his key 15
points in the contest. Aquilina also pitched in eight points Sunday night in
the playoffs’ third round as St. Jude’s got by Regis 47-44. High scorer was
Joe Harenza, with 12 points, and Christian Guignet added another 8. The
junior-varsity Nomads now boast a 17-3 overall record, with 15 regular-season
and two post-season wins. They play for the title at 2 p.m. Saturday at Bishop
O’Reilly High School. In Wednesday’s varsity matchup, which followed the
junior-varsity contest, the seventh- and eighth-grade Nomads amassed 14 more
points than Gate of Heaven, taking the 64-50 win. Danny Price was the high
scorer, pitching in 25 points, coach Lester Kempinski said. “We had four
guys in double figures,” he added, crediting Brad Mailloux for 17 points and
Matt Kempinski and Earl Santos for 10 apiece. The senior Nomads got a tougher
break Sunday against Regis, ending a neck-and-neck game with a 58-51 loss.
Entering the contest with the same 16-3 record as Regis, the Nomads knew the
work wouldn’t be easy. “It was a close game all the way,” Kempinski said,
noting a tie at the end of the third quarter. “It was a rough one.” With 16
points, Matt Kempinski was Sunday night’s leading scorer. With its record now
16-4, the varsity Nomads will play in the consolation game Saturday at Bishop
O’Reilly.