It doesn’t matter if it’s the seventh-eighth grade division or the circuit for fifth-sixth grade team, St. Rocco School has established itself as the girls’ basketball capital of Rhode Island.
And, St. Rocco also ranks among the best teams in New England, too.
After winning the Rhode Island Catholic Athletic League’s regular season championship with an unblemished 12-0 record, head coach Dave Raposa’s talented troupe won back-to-back games and staked claim to the prestigious CAL state championship.
Paced by Hayley Raposa, St. Rocco’s Fifth-Sixth Grade girls whipped Woodlawn School, 33-5, in the annual state tournament that was hosted by St. Mary’s Academy Bay View in East Providence.
In what was a grueling state championship finale, St. Rocco eked out a thrilling, 28-22, victory over Good Shepherd and brought yet another basketball banner back to the Johnston-based school.
Just recently, St. Rocco’s state champions traveled to Worcester, where Raposa’s girls played in the highly-competitive CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) Regional Tournament, as the sole representative of the Diocese of Providence.
And, as Raposa explained: “We had to win four games in three days in order to bring home the (regional) championship.”
Thus, St. Rocco’s – which included Hayley Raposa, Isabelle Palumbo, Lora Donovan, Mia Mollicone, Annissa Ferranti, Jenna Perrotta, Shivani Lima, Shannon Healey, Olivia Marocco-Markley, Morgan Riel and Shannon George – beat back three classic challenges and advanced to Sunday’s regional championship game.
Unfortunately, St. Rocco’s magical ride ended just one game short – 38-18 – against St. Thomas of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Conn.
“It was an unbelievable weekend,” Raposa offered. “It was certainly emotional for the girls having to play four games in a small time frame. This time, our opponent – St. Thomas – played a better game.”
However, as Raposa and his assistant coaches John Perrotta and Chris Palumbo emphasized: “It was an experience that no one will ever forget. This team went farther than any other team in the history of St. Rocco girls’ basketball.”
St. Rocco began its regional tourney title quest on a Friday night by beating the host team – St. Anne’s of the Diocese of Worcester – 29-26. On Saturday, St. Rocco routed St. James of the Diocese of Norwich, 35-22, and thus gained a berth in the Regional Final Four.
In that regional tourney semifinal, that was played on Saturday afternoon following St. Rocco’s morning quarterfinal win, the Johnston girls edged last year’s regional champion Blessed Sacrament of the Boston-based diocese, 28-26, and were just one game away from the championship.
But the Connecticut hoopsters had other ideas and denied St. Rocco from staking claim to the crown.
Yet, St. Rocco lost only one game during the entire season and Raposa reports that “the girls are already looking forward to next season.”
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