Upper Darby, PA – The latest crowns in GOYA basketball were attained on Sunday night at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox church, where the boys and girls championships took place. The St. Thomas girls of Cherry Hill, NJ, and St. George boys of Media, PA, brought home victories to conclude the 2018-2019 season.
Girls: St. Thomas vs. St. Demetrios
The St. Thomas girls of Cherry Hill, NJ, ranked number one and undefeated the whole season, stayed the course and brought home their latest championship as they defeated the St. Demetrios girls team of Upper Darby, PA.
Playing a zone defense and running a fast-break offense throughout the evening was perhaps the difference for St. Thomas. The aggressive half-court attack by St. Thomas throughout the first half led to more than 10 turnovers by St. Demetrios, who fell behind 15-9 at halftime.
Alexia Loucas of St. Demetrios put on a one-woman show through much of the game, as she was nearly unstoppable. St. Demetrios made a late run in the third quarter, pulling within three points. St. Demetrios ran out of steam too often when it came to getting back to their defensive positions and continued to turn the ball over.
Final score: St. Thomas 34, St. Demetrios 23
Boys: St. George vs. Evangelismos
The 21-year drought is over! The St. George boys basketball team from Media, PA, finally has something to celebrate. It’s been nearly a generation since they won a GOYA title, and they achieved it with first-year head coach George Apostolopoulos. The path to victory looked uncertain during the first half of the matchup against Evangelismos, the boys from Bustleton Avenue in Philadelphia.
The first period saw Evangelismos putting up a great battle with St. George. At the end of the first period, just six points separated the two, with St. George leading 19-11. The hot shooting of St. George early on then went cold in the second quarter. Evangelismos’ defensive pressure forced several turnovers, which they capitalized on, converting them into points. Their domination on the boards late in the second quarter also helped. Evangelismos pulled within three points at halftime, making the score 19-16. But that was all she wrote.
An exciting first-half championship gave way to the St. George exhibition of shooting in the second half. They unleashed an explosive performance, taking a commanding lead of more than 15 points in the third quarter. They were simply unstoppable, draining shots from all around the perimeter and dominating the baseline. Evangelismos’ boys fought hard through much of the third quarter, but the stars aligned for St. George. Their 35-point blowout ended the drought with a bang.
Final score: St. George 78, Evangelismos 41