WHEREAS
, The boys varsity basketball team at Our Mother of Sorrows / St. Ignatius of Loyola School won the Pennsylvania State Grade School Boys CYO Basketball Tournament in Harrisburg on Sunday, March 21st ; and
WHEREAS
, The tournament featured top teams from the eight dioceses in Pennsylvania. The team from Our Mother of Sorrows / St. Ignatius of Loyola, called the Comets, is the best in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, which includes 234 varsity basketball teams in Philadelphia, Montgomery, Bucks, Chester, and Delaware Counties; and
WHEREAS
, The Comets beat Our Mother of Sorrows from the Diocese of Altoona 54-35 in the final game of the tournament to win the title of best in the State, and cap off an undefeated, 41-0, season; and
WHEREAS
, This is the second year in a row that the Comets have been the top team in their region, which includes West and Southwest Philadelphia. This is the first time, however, that the Comets have won the Archdiocese of Philadelphia or the Pennsylvania State Tournament. The team also won the St. Margaret Tournament, Archbishop Carroll Tournament, and the West Catholic Tournament; and
WHEREAS
, The team is led by head coach Leroy Duncan and assistant coach Keith Chennault, who are both St. Ignatius of Loyola alumni. The team roster is Xavier Berry, Andrew Bonner, Hondu Brown, Jordan Coles, Termir Durham, John Fletcher, Troy Harper, Frank Johnson, Darius Kennedy, Jaquan Newton, Jalen Roberson Cosby, and Basil Thompson; and
WHEREAS
, Our Mother of Sorrows/St. Ignatius of Loyola is a Pre-K to 8th grade elementary school, with 310 students. The school has two campuses: Our Mother of Sorrows, located at 48th and Lancaster, and St. Ignatius of Loyola, located at 636 N. 43rd Street; and
WHEREAS
, Some 80% of the school's alumni go on to private or charter high schools and 85% graduate in four years. Last year's graduating class earned $34,000 in high school scholarships; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED,
That the Philadelphia City Council hereby honors and congratulates the Boys Varsity Basketball Team of Our Mother of Sorrows/ St. Ignatius of Loyola School for Winning the Pennsylvania State Grade School Boys Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) Basketball Tournament; and
FURTHER RESOLVED,
That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented as a sincere expression of this Council's acknowledgment and congratulations on the Comets' Victory.
End