For the second year in a row, the St. Anastasia CYO Girls’ Varsity Basketball team can call themselves State Champions. On March 12, 2023, the St. Annie’s Lady Spartans faced the same team they beat in 2022, Holy Trinity Catholic playing in Altoona. They came out on top again, this time with a final score of 48-30.
Head coach Pat Doogan said the championship game was a challenge considering it was hosted by Holy Trinity Catholic School and Bishop Guilfoyle High School. “It was essentially a home game for Holy Trinity,” said Pat. “But our team was composed and resilient. We really rose to the occasion to finish the game strong.”
The Spartans held a modest lead for the first half into the 3rd quarter of the game. Late in the third quarter, Holy Trinity tied it up at 24, but 3-pointers from eighth graders Maddie DeFronzo and Brigidanne Donohue pushed the lead to 33-24 heading into the fourth quarter. St. Annie’s made 11 free throws in the fourth quarter to prevent any comeback. “It was amazing to be on the court with my four best friends and winning it with them and the team,” said forward Cate Schumacher, who played in the 2022 State Championship. “There was such excitement in the crowd. And since many of us had played in the 2022 game, we knew what to expect as far as pressure.”
Going into the state tournament the Spartans had a record of 34-1. Despite losing to their rival team St. Francis early in the season, they went on to win their final 32 games. Late in the season, they faced St. Francis again in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Championship but this time they beat them 38-34, advancing them to states.
This year’s team of Lady Spartans included five 8th graders and eight 7th graders. Eighth-grade starters Maddie DeFronzo, Brigidanne Donohue, Marley Lapella, Riley McDonnell and Cate Schumacher made history as being the only class to ever win the AOP and State championships as 7th and 8th graders. “The five of us have been playing together since 3rd grade so we have great chemistry,” said Cate. “One of our coaches calls it magic!”
What made this group of players special was that they all played as a team. “They were completely unselfish and were only interested in winning as a team,” Pat said. “Although Maddie, Cate and Brigidanne were the leading scorers, the team did whatever was needed to win on any given day.” The 7th graders on the team are an impressive group as well. “They were the JV Region 25 champions when they were in sixth-grade and they were fantastic when given the chance this season,” he explained.
To celebrate the championship win, the girls were escorted home by the Broomall and Newtown Square fire departments and greeted by a large group of fans when they returned to St. Anastasia Parish. “Not only were there a good number of our fans in the stands and at the church lot waiting for us, but the game was streamed live on Facebook and had nearly a thousand views in just a couple days,” said Pat. “The community response was amazing.”
Pat’s been coaching the team for the past two years and he and his family have lived in Broomall since 2007. Other coaching staff includes Nate Andrisani, Carmel McDonnell and Mike Schumacher, all of whom have been coaching together the past two seasons. “We all have daughters who love basketball,” said Pat. “And we are all passionate about basketball.”
The coaching staff also encourages the team to make contributions to the community. For the past several years they’ve been raising money for the Make-A-Wish foundation. Organized by assistant coach Nate Andrisani, the girls were able to raise money by singing Christmas Carols outside of St. Anastasia’s between masses during the Christmas season.
Coach Nate also organized a Make-A-Wish dance at the St. Anastasia Parish Hall in December. Thanks to all of these efforts, the team was able to raise over $31K for Make-A-Wish. “Being able to do this is really a testament to Coach Nate, the girls and to the St. Anastasia community,” said Pat proudly. Congrats to the Lady Spartans on your back-to-back State Championship wins! Your contributions on and off the court are an inspiration to your Marple Newtown Friends & Neighbors!