Holy Trinity boys basketball wins CHSAA state 'A' title, led by Reid's 23 points
The Holy Trinity boys basketball team celebrates its state CHSAA title. Credit: Holy Trinity High School
Holy Trinity junior Ryan Reid stood at the free-throw line with the Titans leading by four points against Canisius, now just a couple of seconds away from the program’s first state championship since 2014.
He knocked down the first free throw, slapping the hand of sophomore Makhi Reeves. Reid intentionally missed the second, and as Reeves grabbed the offensive rebound, no Canisius player moved toward him.
Game over. Holy Trinity 57, Canisius 52.
The Titans flooded the court Sunday at Erie Community College in Williamsville, dogpiling at midcourt as it celebrated its new CHSAA state Class A title.
“It felt good; all the hard work we put in paid off,” Reid said. “And now we’re state champs.”
Reid finished with a game-high 23 points. Senior Jagger Verzosa continued a dominant defensive season with numerous steals, including one that he took himself to score to give Holy Trinity (24-4) the largest lead of the game, 49-41, with 4:10 remaining. He scored all six of his points inside the final five minutes.
“He hit a huge three, and he gets those little steals for us,” Holy Trinity coach Steve Gnus said. “He’s been doing that all year, all playoffs. He was great.”
Reid’s twin, Myles, hit two clutch free throws inside the final 20 seconds to give Holy Trinity a 56-52 lead. The Titans stopped Canisius (20-7) on the ensuing possession to seal the win.
Senior Tristan Thomas added 14 points, including a buzzer-beating layup to end the third quarter. It couldn’t be a better ending to Gnus’ debut year, who began coaching at Holy Trinity in 1995 and worked as an assistant coach for the varsity team for 10 years before this winter.
“I’ve been here a long time, and we’ve had some really good teams that didn’t get a chance to win the state championship,” Gnus said. “So, you never expect it.”
That is, unless you’re Ryan Reid. What would he have said in November if someone told him Holy Trinity would end up atop New York?
“I would’ve said you’re probably right,” Ryan Reid said.
Michael Sicoli covers high school sports for Newsday. He graduated from Quinnipiac in 2022 and left with a master’s degree in sports journalism in 2023.
