The St. Thomas More Knights continue to make it look easy.
The senior girls basketball squad maintained its impressive run that began before Christmas with last week's 30-point win over Pitt Meadows in the STM Seniors Night at the Burnaby campus.
It came on the heels of a program first, as the Knights went undefeated at the B.C. Catholics championships two weeks ago, carting off the school’s first senior girls B.C. Catholic title with a hearty 51-36 victory over St. Thomas Aquinas.
“We’ve been in the finals before, but this was the first (B.C. Catholics) win for us, and it came against a very talented opponent,” said co-coach Jen Farano.
STM never trailed, leading 14-6 after eight minutes and 29-12 at halftime. They did a great job defensively, holding standout and six-foot-one post Jessica Clarke scoreless over the first half and to just eight on the day.
The Fighting Saints were unable to match the Knights’ energy and offensive pressure. The Burnaby squad outshot their North Shore rival 62-32, and won the turnover battle 22-8.
Leading the way was tourney Most Outstanding Player, point guard Cassiel Penalosa, who tallied 17 points. Counting 11 points each were guard Emily Dias – hitting on three long-range shots – and Grade 11 post Tatiana Yu.
“(STA) is the exact opposite of us,” remarked Farano. “We’re small and quick, while they’re very, very tall. We were able to get inside and the girls came prepared.”
The championship win resulted in the Knights trading places with STA in the provincial 2-A rankings, with STM now sitting third overall, and the Fighting Saints in fourth spot.
To advance to the final, More knocked off Notre Dame 63-28 in the semifinal, building on a strong start that saw them in front 30-12 at halftime. Against the Jugglers, Gigi Gaspar scored a game-high 22 points, while Dias and Yu chipped in 11 points apiece.
The Knights started it all by defeating St. Pat’s 47-10 in the opening game.
Sisters Gigi and Bella Gaspar were named all-stars, and each secured a scholarship award, while Yu was voted the Most Inspirational.
“We stuck to the game plan, which is something they’ve done over the season,” noted Farano, who shares the bench duties with Winston Brown and David Kazun. “Other teams know about us, and (being ranked) means we can’t have any bad games. Everyone comes gunning for us.”
The Knights wind down league play next week, setting the stage for the playoffs.
