Davis vs. Fizulich

Two 2020 Archbishop Stepinac High School graduates — RJ Davis and Luke Fizulich — met on opposing sidelines Wednesday night with Davis and North Carolina coming away with an 83-70 victory over Fizulich and Marquette in a non-conference basketball action.

Davis finished with 11 points for the Tar Heels (14-8 overall), who host No. 11 Florida in an Atlantic Coast Conference game at 4 p.m. Saturday on ESPN.

Fizulich and Marquette (11-12 overall) play at UConn in a Big East game at 1:30 p.m. Saturday on FOX.

Krauza Signs with Assumption

Our Lady of Lourdes High School senior Joseph Krauza signed a National Letter of Intent to play football at Assumption University.

Assumption is a NCAA Division II football program that competes in the Northeast-10 Conference. The Greyhounds finished 6-4 overall and 5-3 in the Northeast-10 Conference in 2019.

“It’s only a few hours from home so my family and friends can come to games. I feel the coaching staff and my new teammates will push me to become the best player that I can possibly be,” he said in a press release. “I am confident that I can make a difference on the team from day one. Academically, I was impressed by the attention given to each student, particularly each student athlete. The staff stressed that their focus is to help me develop into the best man I can be.” 

Krauza was a three-sport athlete at Lourdes, competing in football, wrestling and lacrosse, and is a member of the National Honor Society.

PHOTO COURTESY OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES

Siegrist Lifts Villanova

Maddy Siegrist hit the game-tying three-point field goal with six seconds remaining in regulation and added five points in overtime, leading Villanova University to a 63-58 Big East women’s basketball win over Providence College on Wednesday.

The Our Lady of Lourdes High School graduate converted a layup for the first points of the overtime and scored the final three points of the game on free throws to seal the victory.

Siegrist finished with 24 points and seven rebounds for the Wildcats (14-4 overall, 9-4 Big East).

Villanova closes the regular season against Seton Hall at home on Saturday. FOX Sports1 is televising the 8 p.m. game.

Toussaint, Iowa on ESPN

Cardinal Hayes High School graduate Joe Toussaint and the ninth-ranked University of Iowa men’s basketball team will meet third-ranked University of Michigan in an ESPN game on Thursday at 6 p.m.

Tourssaint, a sophomore guard from the Bronx, is averaging 3.9 points and 1.0 rebounds per game for the Hawkeyes (17-6 overall, 11-5 Big Ten).

Following the game with Michigan, Iowa will play at No. 4 Ohio State University in a game being televised by CBS at 4 p.m. Sunday.

Griffin Assists Syracuse

Archbishop Stepinac High School graduate Alan Griffin had 11 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks for Syracuse University in an 85-71 Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball loss to host Duke on Monday night.

The junior forward is averaging 15.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, both rank second on the team.

Syracuse (13-7 overall, 7-6 ACC) plays Saturday at Georgia Tech.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY

Rivals Iona Prep, Stepinac Playing Best of 7 Boys Baskeball Series

Iona Preparatory School and Archbishop Stepinac High School will be playing in the Brother Stoldt Best of 7 Series, beginning with the first game of the boys basketball series on Friday night in New Rochelle at 7 p.m.

The two teams will be playing in front of no fans at the gymnasiums, but will be competing in front of a livestream audience.

The two CHSAA boys basketball programs, who began practicing earlier this month, will be playing the best-of seven series because CHSAA programs from their league in New York City have not received a final OK to begin practicing from Mayor Bill de Blasio and the city health department.

A decision from the mayor is expected soon and practices for public and Catholic schools in New York City may begin as soon as this week or Monday, March 1.

Siegrist Leads Villanova

Our Lady of Lourdes High School graduate Maddy Siegrist had 31 points and 16 rebounds for Villanova University in a 64-56 Big East Conference women’s basketball victory over Georgetown.

The sophomore forward was 11 for 21 from the floor and 8 for 9 from the free-throw line.

Siegrist is averaging team highs of 23.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.

Villanova (13-4 overall, 8-4 Big East) will close out the regular season at Providence on Wednesday and by hosting Seton Hall on Saturday.

Siegrist Powers Villanova

Our Lady of Lourdes High School graduate Maddy Siegrist collected 24 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists in leading Villanova University to a 98-74 Big East women’s basketball victory over Butler University.

The sophomore forward was 5 for 12 from beyond the three-point arc.

Siegrist is averaging 22.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game for the Wildcats (12-3 overall, 7-3 Big East).

Villanova will bring a three-game winning streak into Friday’s game at Marquette University.

Fordham Prep Grad Reporting to Yankees Spring Training Camp

Fordham Prep graduate and infielder Andrew Velazquez is one of 72 players scheduled to report to spring training camp for the New York Yankees.

Pitchers and catchers are reporting to camp today. The first full team workout is Monday. The Yankees host the Toronto Blue Jays in Tampa to open their exhibition schedule on Feb. 28 in a game being televised by the YES Network.

Raised in the Bronx, Velazquez is one of 20 players reporting who were signed to minor league contracts. The 26 year old was signed in December after hitting .156 (15 for 96) with 17 runs scored, four doubles, one triple, three RBI, 12 walks and six stolen bases in 68 games over three seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays (2018-2019), Cleveland Indians (2019) and Baltimore Orioles (2020).

Velazquez, who also attended St. Francis Xavier School in the Bronx, earned a spot on the 2020 Orioles opening day roster and hit .159 with 11 runs scored, 10 walks, four stolen bases and three RBI in 40 games.

Velazquez was the seventh-round pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft.

Griffin Lifts Syracuse

Archbishop Stepinac High School graduate Alan Griffin finished with 14 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks for Syracuse University in a 75-67 Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball win over Boston College.

The junior forward is averaging a team-high 15.8 points per game and is second with 6.8 rebounds per game.

Syracuse plays Louisville on Wednesday.