Article by Phoenix writer Justin McKenzie ’24:
On Saturday, Kellenberg played in a back and forth battle at the annual Tom Crotty Classic. The Tom Crotty Classic is held to commemorate Tom Crotty, who played for Maria Regina from 1973 to 1977, and tragically passed away during the 9/11 attacks.
Kellenberg welcomed Fordham Prep to the Bird’s Nest for a back and forth battle. The boys got off to a red hot start with a 18-11 lead after one quarter.
Fordham Prep stormed back to flip the score and enter the half at 23-33.
The Firebirds remained diligent, cutting the margin to 41-43 by the end of the third quarter. The Firebirds clawed their way out of their deficit and retook the lead, finishing the game with a final score of 72-63.
Thomas Jack ‘24 won MVP of the tournament by stuffing the stat sheet with 8 points 6 assists and 3 steals. When asked about the game, Jack said “I felt like we needed to win this for Tom. At halftime, Coach told us we just needed to play our game and that we would win if we stuck together. It felt good to win MVP but winning with my team felt even better.”
The team along with the Crotty family had a reception after the game. While the thrill of winning a tournament game is always exciting, the Tom Crotty Classic holds a much higher level of significance. Every year, the tournament brings Tom Crotty’s family and friends together when it matters the most.
