Sirviva Legions leads way, Taryn Barbot caps St. Mary's win in CHSAA final
Taryn Barbot seized her moment.
With 2.6 seconds left in Tuesday’s CHSAA Class AA championship at Hofstra University, the St. Mary’s freshman guard connected on the winning basket, lifting the Gaels to a 46-43 victory over St. John the Baptist and the team’s first title since 2015. It was the only shot Barbot took all game.
“I was hoping, but when I released it, I knew it was going to go,” said Barbot, who scored off an assist from point guard Sirviva Legions. “If I was wide open, I was definitely taking the shot.”
After St. John the Baptist’s Cara McCormack sank a pair from the free-throw line to make it 43-all with 14.4 seconds left, St. Mary’s (21-4) pushed the ball up the court, looking to keep the Cougars from settling into their defense.
Legions drove the lane and, with the defense collapsing on her, noticed Barbot standing just outside the three-point line. The sophomore, who finished with 18 points, opted to pass and said she “had faith” that Barbot would make the play.
“When I drove I saw that my teammate was open,” Legions said. “I just passed it and she made it. It felt good.”
St. Mary’s coach Kevin White said he wasn’t surprised Legions was able to find Barbot, crediting her for her “great ability to make the right basketball play, which is exactly what she did.”
White added that Barbot very likely wouldn’t have been in the game in the waning seconds if her twin sister, Taylor, hadn’t fouled out earlier in the quarter. Still, he was confident that Taryn was ready for the big-time moment.
“She’s not afraid to take the last shot,” White said.
St. John the Baptist (24-3) had a final look at the hoop, but came up short on its buzzer-beating shot. And while it wasn’t always the prettiest game, White was quick to praise his team for its maturity down the stretch.
“They played through the moments where we didn’t play well,” White said. “At the beginning of the year, I didn’t know if that would happen.”
McCormack led the Cougars with 16 points. Laura Bogota added 12 points for St. Mary’s, while Kalena Ricketts finished with 18 rebounds.
The Gaels advance to the CHSAA state semifinal, Friday, March 13 at Holy Trinity against either Cardinal O’Hara of Buffalo or St. Mary’s of Lancaster.
“We came in this year as a team and we all talked about how we wanted to win,” Legions said. “Even though we’re a young team, we knew we could do it.”
Our Lady of Mercy 57, Holy Trinity 38:
Meghan Andersen led the Mustangs (17-8) in the CHSAA Class A qualifier, scoring 16 of her 24 points in the first half. Sam Shea added 12 points, while Natalie Pacher chipped in six points.
Our Lady of Mercy jumped out to a 20-8 lead after the first quarter. Maggie Long paced Holy Trinity (15-8) with 13 points. “I didn’t want this season to end yet,” Andersen said. “Our captains talked to us before the game and said that this meant a lot to them. If we worked well and do what we always do, we knew we’d get [the win].”
