McQuaid Basketball Completes Historic Season
The Knights pose with the Section V championship brick. This was the Knights’ first sectional championship since 2003.
After a shaky start, the McQuaid Jesuit Basketball team turned it around and finished as one of the top teams in New York State. It’s safe to say that no one expected the finish that they had.
The trouble started in the offseason, when the Knights lost two star players in Isaiah Stewart and Thomas Jones, who went to play basketball at different schools. However, the team did not let these losses get to them and defied everyone’s expectations.
The team did not have a great first half of the season, resulting in a 4-7 record after their first 11 games. They immediately turned the tide with a big win against the undefeated state-ranked team from Leadership Academy.
“I thought my season was going to be over. Honestly, I was getting ready to give up, but I was confident for the second half of the season,” explained Senior Captain Anthony Iglesia.
The Knights continued this stretch with key wins against Bishop Kearney, Aquinas (twice) and top-seeded Fairport.
Entering the Section V tournament, the Knights maintained a regular season record of 12-8. With blowout wins against Victor and Webster Schroeder in the first two rounds, McQuaid reached the Sectional semi-finals at Blue Cross Arena for the second year in a row. The basketball Knights knocked off top-seeded Fairport to reach the Section V Championship.
In a rematch of the 2017 semi-finals, the Knights got their revenge on University Prep, to win their first Sectional title since 2003, and a bid to the state quarterfinals. Senior Josh Purcell and Sophomore Kobe Long were named to the Section V All-Tournament team, while Senior Anthony Iglesia was named the tournament’s most valuable player.
Then the Knights advanced to regionals and came out on top. In a game against Niagara Falls, a team that beat McQuaid earlier in the season, McQuaid clinched their berth to the New York State Final Four.
Unfortunately, the Knights season came to an end with a loss in the semifinals to Half Hollow Hills East.
The Knights were overall successful this season, which included capturing their first Section V Title in fifteen years.
Fabre plays for varsity rugby at McQuaid. He came to McQuaid as a freshman and has been here since. He enjoys listing to music in his spare time. He has...
