This past year’s CYO Basketball season did not disappoint as the league was filled with drama, talent and controversy once again. Several teams outperformed their projections from the beginning of the year while others disappointed, making for a very interesting finish to the season. With that being said, here are some notes on each team from the past year:

• Catherine defied the odds and actually secured a win, albeit it came by way of a forfeit from St. Athanasius. The projections on this team were otherwise on par, as they finished last in the division.
• Mary’s team proved to be a small disappointment from their pre-season projections; however, it should be taken into account that attendance for the team’s top players was spotty at best throughout the season. Although they finished 8^th in the section, there are certainly a lot of unknowns into how this year could’ve turned out differently.
• Athanasius was undoubtedly the biggest disappointment in the division as they were ranked first but finished in 7^th place. The team had both size and talent but was unable to put it together for a playoff run.
• Bernadette was exactly on par with their preseason projection, finishing at 6^th in the division just as they were predicted to. The team had talent and was a few bad bounces and tough-luck losses away from potentially making it to the postseason.
• Sebastian lived up to its role as a sleeper, outperforming its original 8^th place ranking to finish 5^th in the section. The team did not lose a game by more than 8 points, with five of their losses within a margin of 3 points or less, indicating that the team was extremely close to having a much better season than the standings show. Ultimately, despite holding the same record as St. Raphael, St. Sebastian was not awarded a spot in the playoffs.
• Raphael finished slightly higher than projected: in 4^th place rather than originally expected 5^th place. The team used several of the players brought in during the previous offseason to force itself into the playoff picture by way of a tiebreaker over St. Sebastian, where they ultimately lost in the second round.
• Bede also finished one spot ahead of where they were originally projected, with a 3^rd place finish in the section. The team’s well-noted talent and a strong core of players earned themselves a spot in the playoffs, where they lost in the first round.
• Maurice finished exactly where they were expected, in second place, and also grabbed the number 2 seed in the playoffs. The team’s “Big Three” was a dominating force in the section during the regular season, but they were upset in the first round of the playoffs by the eventual diocesan champion, St. Gabriel.
• Sacred Heart jumped two places from their preseason ranking, moving from 3^rd to 1^st place by the season’s end. The team was the most well-rounded in the division and earned itself the top seed in the playoffs, where they advanced to the diocesan championship. Despite losing to St. Gabriel, Sacred Heart was awarded a spot in the state tournament in Erie, where they lost in the first round.

 The 2019-2020 CYO season was as intense as any other as it was filled with close games and rivalry match-ups. All good things must come to an end however, as the league must now bid farewell to this year’s beloved senior class and wish them luck in the future, where some of them may choose to take their talents to the ever-glorified college intramural leagues.

Summer is fast approaching, but this year’s junior class and next season’s senior leaders in CYO will always have the thought that next season provides one final chance to achieve the feat of winning the diocesan CYO championship on their minds. While this may seem far-off, the seasoned veterans of the league know that “CYO never stops” and will be grinding throughout the offseason to bring a banner to their home parishes and former grade schools next year.