St. Jane Frances de Chantal of North Hollywood (girls) and Beatitudes of Our Lord from La Mirada (boys) earned 2012 CYO basketball titles in their championship games played recently.In the girls’ final played Feb. 23 at St. Mary's Academy, a full house saw St. Jane Frances, the overall number one seed, battle upstart St. Raphael of South Los Angeles in the title match. The game was hotly contested from the tipoff as girls from both squads played stellar defense, until St. Jane Frances began to pull away, using an aggressive full-court press to force turnovers.
Despite a large halftime deficit, St. Raphael fought back to close the gap, but it was not enough to stop a dominant and determined St. Jane Frances team, which earned its their third consecutive CYO basketball crown.
In the consolation game between two teams that impressively advanced deep into the playoffs, Holy Trinity (San Pedro) outlasted Corpus Christi (Pacific Palisades) to claim the third place trophy.
The boys’ final on March 14 at Junípero Serra High School in Gardena found perennial CYO basketball power and top seed St. Jane Frances de Chantal against an up-and-coming athletic program and number two seed, Beatitudes of Our Lord. In a hotly contested battle, the lead changed several times throughout the first half, ending with Beatitudes holding a one-point lead.
The second half began as the first ended, with players from both teams fighting for every possession. As play continued, Beatitudes gradually pulled away, although St. Jane Frances did its best to force turnovers and disrupt Beatitudes’ flow. However it was Beatitudes’ day as their shots found the basket and ultimately claimed a 10-point victory.
In the third place game between third seed Holy Name of Jesus (Los Angeles) and fourth seed Holy Family (South Pasadena), Holy Name took an early lead and survived a furious comeback by Holy Family to win.
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