Whatever Salesian Head Coach John Miressi and Assistant Mike Lippoth said to their team at halftime, it worked. The Eagles struggled offensively in the first half of the CHSAA B Division Championship Game against Sacred Heart at Fordham University on Friday night, making just 9 of 27 shots and connecting on only one of six 3-point attempts. In addition, Xavier Tellez, one of Salesian's starters, picked up his third foul with 3:23 left in the second quarter and Sean Smith of Sacred Heart, the MVP of the CHSAA's B Division, looked to be on his way to a big night, scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the first 16 minutes.
The momentum shifted in the second half, in a big way. After Salesian managed just 21 points in the first two quarters, they exploded for 27 points in the third, going on a 27-7 run to take a 48-32 lead until Smith's 3-pointer just before the third-quarter buzzer made it 48-35 heading into the fourth. Salesian closed the game by outscoring Sacred Heart 19-8 in the fourth quarter, giving it a 67-43 win and the well-deserved CHSAA B Division title. Salesian shot a torrid 67.9% in the second half while holding Sacred Heart to just 18 second half points. Tellez finished with 16 points, Anthony Mitchell had 12 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists and Alex Romans had 12 points, 5 assists and 5 steals for Salesian. Smith finished with 22 points and 17 rebounds for Sacred Heart.