Leading off today: For the third time in less than a year, an all-girls high school in New York with a history of excellence in basketball will be closing its doors.
A month after deciding to close more than two dozen schools, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York announced Friday that it is also shuttering Staten Island's St. Peter’s High School for Girls this spring because of declining enrollment.
St. Peter’s has 105 girls enrolled this year and the figure was projected to drop under 100 next fall. Similar issues led St. Michael Academy in Manhattan and Nazareth Academy in Rochester (which merged with Aquinas) to cease operations last summer.
St. Peter's Boys High School, located on a nearby campus, is not affected.
Bob Daggett, who is in his 23rd season of coaching, learned the news from his wife shortly before he walked into practice. "The girls knew before I knew and it was heartbreaking going into the gym and seeing everyone in tears," he told The Advance. "They're kids. It's very difficult for them. It's very hard."
Sandy Litkenhaus, a four-year varsity starter for some powerful St. Peter's teams in the 1980s, was also in disbelief.
"I'm very sad about it," she told the paper. "I always liked the fact it was a small school and they were like family to me. It's like losing a family. The league is losing a great program — a powerhouse not only on Staten Island, but the city."
St. Peter's is ranked 13th in Class AA this week by the New York State Sportswriters Association.
When St. Michael Academy closed, most of the girls in the program followed their coach to Nazareth Regional in Brooklyn. Daggett doesn't expect a likely scenario for the St. Peter's returnees.
"My wife and I are coaching the Diamonds (travel team) 13s. We're committed to that," he said. "Right now, that's our next coaching position."
Fatal crash: A Churchville-Chili basketball player was killed and a teammate critically injured in a two-car crash Saturday, Monroe County Sheriff's deputies said.
Saints leading scorer Marcus Blythers, 18, was driving westbound on Buffalo Road at 8:20 a.m. with Dijon Pratt, 18, when he lost control of his minivan and went into the eastbound lane, striking an oncoming car.
Blythers suffered critical injuries and was listed in guarded condition at Strong Memorial Hospital; Pratt was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The accident remains under investigation, but many area roads were slippery in frigid temperatures in the aftermath of overnight snow.
300th victory: Taylor Mundell scored a career-high 19 points for Kenmore West in a 49-39 senior night win over North Tonawanda in girls basketball. It was career victory No. 300 for coach Mike Licata.
"Just because there are zeros after the number, people look at those as a milestone," Licata told The Buffalo News. "I'm not sure 300 is anymore special than 299 or 301. It's just that it causes you to pause and think."
A first for flawlessness: Moravia completed the first unbeaten regular season in the history of its boys basketball season with a 58-43 triumph against Groton.
“We’re excited,” Moravia coach Todd Mulvaney told The Citizen. “But our goals were always to progress. It’s a great accomplishment, no doubt. It’s something different for this team to have.”
Moravia (17-0) plays Friday vs. Spencer-Van Etten in the IAC Championship game.
