Two teams, one community, and a historic senior class
March Madness is in full swing but it is not just taking collegiate basketball by storm. Over the past two weeks, high school basketball players across New York have been playing in their own “March Madness” tournaments.
Throughout the year there has only been one high school in New York that has shown dominance in both girls and boys basketball.
Seton Catholic Central, a private catholic school in Binghamton, New York, only has an enrollment of approximately 400 students. It now owns the achievement as being the only school that had both teams in the state final four of Class C or higher this season.
The Seton girls basketball team, coming off of a Class B state championship last year, were led by starting point guard Hanna Strawn who is committed to playing at Siena next season. The Saints tallied an impressive 14–5 record and advanced to the Class A state semifinal. Seton fell to the eventual state champion Jamesville-Dewitt, but the past two seasons were the best for any girls team in Saints history.
The Seton CC boys team, led by senior point guard Leo Gallagher*, advanced past the defending Class B champion Westhill and squeaked out a thrilling double overtime win against Buffalo Health Sciences Charter in the semifinals. In the state title game, the Saints lost to top ranked Mekeel Christian Academy by a final of 42–37. Seton CC finished the historic campaign 23–3.
The bigger story during this time was how the Seton community rallied around both teams as students, faculty, and families witnessed something unprecedented.
The deep bond between the two teams that many unfamiliar with the program do not know about is something that you can attribute to their success.
Both the girls and the boys have been playing together since they were in grade school so they have been driving each other to get better for close to 8 years now. The competition has pushed the teams to reach new levels of play not seen in the area before.
Two teams, one school, one class. The Seton Catholic Central senior basketball class is as talented in basketball as any other school in the state which made for an unforgettable March.
*Disclaimer: Leo Gallagher is a first cousin of the author. Leo’s brother Redmond, first cousins Michael Martin, and Bridget Martin also play basketball on the boys and girls team, respectively.
