Moore marches past Fontbonne to state championship 

After winning the CHSAA Brooklyn-Queens Division 2 Championship, Fontbonne lined up against the New York Diocesan champion Mavericks from Moore Catholic H.S. of Staten Island for a state semi-final matchup.

For the Bonnies, the matchup was once again a formidable prospect, having already been beaten twice during the regular season. However, despite their previous meetings, the Bonnies took a “What If” approach to their normal week of practice to make the most of a long shot to become potential spoilers.

At Christ the King H.S. in Queens, Fontbonne got off to a solid start as the Bonnies kept pace with the Mavericks to trail 16-14 in the first quarter. Midway in the second quarter, Fontbonne’s all-time scoring leader Noelle Polanco (21 points) had to sit due to foul trouble, while her counterpart Brianna Caliri (25 points) led her team to 27-12 run to give Moore a 43-26 halftime lead.

Despite Fontbonne’s Summer Duffy’s eleventh point in the third period, the Bonnies were outscored again 18-13. Starting the fourth quarter with a 61-39 lead, Caliri finished the game with a new total of 1,350 points for a 74-50 win to advance Moore to the state finals.

For Fontbonne’s senior captain Polanco, this semi-final game would be the conclusion of her high school basketball career during which she emerged as the school’s all-time high scorer with a total of 1,722 points.

Named to the CHSAA’s Division 2 First Team for four consecutive seasons, Polanco scored 305 points in her freshman year and 539 points as a sophomore to reach 844.  Early in her junior year Polanco reached 1,000 points and went on to score 878 more points over her final two seasons to reach her total of 1,722 points. This fall Polanco will enter the University of Charleston, W.V., on a basketball scholarship and will study criminal justice.

With the Fontbonne win, the Mavericks traveled to Fordham University, where they met perennial contenders the St. Mary Lancers of Buffalo for the state championship. This time the Mavericks not only rode to the title on the leadership of Caliri, but also on the matching efforts of teammate Mackenzie Felci to win the state championship 69-51. The pair dominated on offense with 18 points apiece, as well as on the boards, with Caliri capturing 17 rebounds and Felci pulling down 16.

With Caliri’s final 18 points, she finishes with a total of 1,368 points to become Moore’s fifth ranked all-time scorer.

“Bri is my first 1,000 point scorer,” said CHSAA Division 2 Coach of the Year Gene Henderson. “She’ll continue to play basketball on a scholarship at Daemen University at Buffalo. I’m really happy for the girls because they worked hard and played well for this championship.”