Catholic Central claims first section title in 42 years

GLENS FALLS, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- When Guy Di Bacco returned to Catholic Central as head coach of the boys basketball team in 2019, he set out to help the Crusaders achieve something the program hadn't done since 1981 - win a section title. And in year four of his return, they accomplished that mission.

Top-seeded Catholic Central claimed the Sec. II, Class B title with a 73-59 win over third-seeded Glens Falls out at Cool Insuring Arena Saturday afternoon. On the biggest stage, and under the brightest lights, the Crusaders were paced by a pair of freshmen - Darien Moore and Sei'Mir Roberson - who combined for 48 points.

Catholic Central never trailed in the game; Roberson got the Crusaders on the scoreboard first with a wing three-pointer 2:10 into the opening frame.

It took Moore a few minutes to find his stride, but once he did, he took over. Moore scored a fast-break lay-up with seconds remaining in the first quarter to claim Catholic Central a 17-10 lead. And just over one minute into the second quarter, he stuck a mid-range jumper over the outstretched hands of two Glens Falls defenders, growing the lead to nine points at 22-13, and forcing Nation head coach Rob Girard to spend a timeout.

Glens Falls countered out of that stoppage with a quick, 5-0 burst, punctuated by an old-fashioned, three-point play from sophomore guard Oscar Lilac.

But Catholic Central did now allow the run to get out of hand, and eventually grew its' lead to double digits when senior Nick Riley knocked down a corner triple with 1:33 to play before halftime.

Glens Falls managed to trim the margin back down to eight points heading into the locker room, and made yet another push out of the break. With 2:14 to play in the third quarter, sophomore Kellen Driscoll connected on a jumper in the lane to bring his team within four points at 49-45.

But that's as close as Glens Falls would get the rest of the game. The Crusaders closed the quarter on a 10-2 run that was capped off by a deep Roberson trey ball with just seconds remaining on the third-quarter clock. Catholic Central took a 12-point lead into the final stanza, and quickly put Glens Falls in its' rear-view mirror, securing the 73-59 win.

After the game, an emotional Di Bacco shared what bringing a section title back to Catholic Central means not only for the program, but for his family that has a rich coaching background.

"I really struggle with the emotions here," said Di Bacco. "I think of my brother, my sister, who coached; my dad and uncles. And (I) really took a moment to reflect on all of them at the end of the game. But winning this is a testament to our kids, and how hard they prepared, and how hard they played."

Moore finished with a game-high 27 points, and racked up 13 rebounds to boot, earning him Most Valuable Player of the tournament. He said he could sense something special was brewing amongst he and his teammates before the game.

"I was feeling good today actually," said Moore. "As soon as I woke up, I was feeling good. And I was just thinking about last year; I didn't want to feel that way (like) last year when we lost by one. So, we built each other up, and just had our energy high. As soon as we saw each other, it was high energy all day."

Roberson added 21, and was selected to the all-tournament team along with Moore. Driscoll and Lilac both landed on the team as well. Driscoll posted a double-double with a team-high 22 points and 10 rebounds. Lilac contributed 15 points.

Catholic Central now advances to sub-regionals, although its' opponent has not yet been announced.

Glens Falls finishes as the runner-up in Class B, ending the year with an 18-6 overall record.