Both Hackley boys’ and girls’ varsity basketball teams participated in the 23rd annual Coaches vs Cancer High School Basketball Classic at Fieldston. Teams all around New York State participated in the tournament to help raise money for the American Cancer Society. All proceeds collected by each school were donated. Hackley’s boys’ and girls’ teams raised over 1,400 dollars in donations through a bake sale. 

At the tournament, the girls matched up against Maria Regina and won by a score of 51-47. The team was led by senior captains Alessa Mendoza and Ashley Currie, who boosted scores and showed tremendous leadership down the stretch. Alessa finished with 21 points and Ashley added 15. This tournament is especially meaningful for the girls’ basketball program as their head coach, Margaret Scarcella, is a five-year cancer survivor. Each year the team creates custom shirts and surprises Coach Scarcella with creative designs. This year the shirts displayed, “We Wear Amber For Our Coach.” 

“It is always a great experience playing in this tournament because we are helping fight a horrible issue in the world. Also, I’m really happy with the way we played. It was a huge game for us and we really battled throughout the whole game,” junior Donia Karandikar said. 

The boys faced a strong Fordham Prep team and ultimately lost 50-61. The team jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter, but after falling into foul trouble, Fordham Prep was able to take the momentum and mount the comeback. Despite the loss, the boys showed tremendous heart battling against the top school in The Catholic High School Athletic Association ‘A’ division. 

“The loss was not the outcome we wanted, but it was really cool playing in that environment. I think the whole tournament is a really good idea because it brings a lot of schools and players together to help fight against the same cause,” senior Matthew Kearns said.