Kolbe Cathedral Wins Division IV Basketball Title

UNCASVILLE, CT — Judging by past tournament history, Kolbe Cathedral High School was due to win the Division IV boys basketball finals Sunday. After all, the Cougars had won four previous titles, in 1971, 1985, 1999 and 2004 - one in each of the past four decades.

Make it five, as Kolbe held off the tournament's Cinderella team, Rocky Hill, to post a 55-40 victory at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

Rocky Hill, which barely qualified for the tournament with an 8-12 regular season record, had a remarkable run through the bracket as the number 26 seed, defeating four higher-ranked opponents en route to its first title game since winning the Class S crown in 2002.

The Terriers hung around for nearly 28 minutes, trailing by seven with 4:22 to play. However, the Cougars embarked on a 12-2 run in a 3:16 span to clinch the championship.

Anthony Senior led Kolbe with 18 points, Kyle Fedirici had 11 and Quinton Sneed contributed 10. Nazire Vereen snared nine rebounds, while Sneed grabbed eight.

Jordan DelMastro led Rocky Hill with 17 points, and Andrew DiMatteo added 11.

Photo and video credits: Tim Jensen