Southington Catholic School’s Varsity Boys Basketball Team Wins Waterbury Parochial Basketball League Tournament to Advance to Archdiocesan Tournament
On Sunday, March 5, the Southington Catholic School Varsity Boys Basketball Team won 73-54 to clinch the Waterbury Parochial Basketball League championship for the 2022-2023 season. The game was hosted by Holy Cross High School in Waterbury. The Southington Catholic School team went undefeated in the 16-game regular season and won games on March 2, 4, and 5, against three competitive teams in the greater Waterbury area.
Grade 8 players Brian Anderson, Ethen Clements, and Jayse Johnson have led the team since the season began in November 2022, continuing an undefeated streak that began in 2021 and ended with a 24-0 season that culminated in the New England Championship in Burlington, Vt., in April 2022. The team has been working hard to remain undefeated in the current season as well.
Coaches Pat Byrne and Heidi Ouellette, recipients of the Archdiocese of Hartford’s Saint John Neumann Award for Volunteer Service at the 45th Anniversary HOPES Dinner in September 2022, have spent countless hours mentoring the young men on the team and working with their families to ensure they are growing as scholar athletes, on and off the court. After the March 4, game, one of the referees asked Coach Byrne to pull the team together because he wanted to talk to the boys. Once the team came together, he told them, “After 40 years of refereeing, I have never seen a team that has shown so much sportsmanship!” He then congratulated the team and wished them well in the future. Coach Byrne told families, “WOW this is great stuff! This means so much more to me and Coach Heidi than actually winning the game!”
The team advances to the Archdiocesan Tournament that will take place on March 11, 12, 18 and 19. Games will be played at Southington Catholic School, 133 Bristol St., Southington, on March 11 and 12. If the team is victorious in the Archdiocesan Tournament, they will advance to the New England Tournament, which will be played in Providence, Rhode Island, on April 1 and 2.
Southington Catholic School has open enrollment for the 2023-2024 school year and is currently enrolling students in Pre-K 3, Pre-K 4, and Kindergarten through Grade Eight. Families can call 860-628-2485 to schedule a tour.