Sports

Small Schools, Big Hearts: St. Saviour, Cathedral Prep Shine

March 18, 2026
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Small yet mighty. 

That’s the perfect way to describe two local diocesan high schools that just capped off memorable seasons on the basketball court: St. Saviour H.S., Park Slope, and Cathedral Prep and Seminary, Elmhurst. 

Despite being among the smallest Catholic high schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn by enrollment, both varsity teams took home some CHSAA hardware. The size of the school in no way dictates the size of these student-athletes’ hearts. 

Saint Saviour High School celebrates after capturing a second straight CHSAA ‘B’ division city championship, with the Pandas edging out a one-point victory to continue the school’s winning tradition.

Pandas Roar 

St. Saviour came into this season as the defending CHSAA ‘B’ division champions. Yet after losing two talented seniors, third-year varsity head coach Bria Jackson did not know what to expect heading into this campaign with a young team. 

“I knew we may take some lumps, but I always thought that we were going to contend for a city championship,” said Jackson, who has now won back-to-back CHSAA ‘B’ Division Coach of the Year awards. 

After a 9-3 regular season, the Pandas defeated Cristo Rey Brooklyn H.S. (East Flatbush) to win the diocesan crown, setting up a rematch with archdiocesan champion The Montfort Academy, Mount Vernon, New York, which defeated St. Saviour twice during the regular season. 

In an absolute nailbiter, St. Saviour emerged victorious with a 26-25 victory to capture the city title for a second straight year. 

“We were so excited for each other because we all witnessed how much work was put into it,” said junior shooting guard and team captain Brielle Gardner, who was named M.V.P. of the CHSAA ‘B’ division. “It was really nice to see to see the freshmen and new players come in and experience that.” 

“From the start to the end, we definitely improved as a team and as personal players,” said junior point guard and team captain Ellie Browne, who was selected to the CHSAA ‘B’ All-League Second Team. “All our hard work paid off when we won the championship.” 

With fewer than 200 girls enrolled, this accomplishment further underscores the school’s rich tradition. In fact, the mothers of nearly half of the varsity players attended St. Saviour as well. 

“Competing with these schools that have more girls to choose from, it says a lot about the character of the school,” Jackson said. “They’re hardworking go-getters, and for us, it all clicked at the right time. It was a little sweeter this year because we had to work so hard for it.” 

Crusaders Soar 

Cathedral Prep not only won the CHSAA ‘B’ division city championship, but the Crusaders also headed up to Buffalo to take home a Catholic state championship, which surely made the almost 400-mile drive back to Elmhurst much more bearable. 

Cathedral Preparatory School and Seminary after winning both the CHSAA ‘B’ division city title and a Catholic state championship, capping off a standout season for the Crusaders.

“It was a journey,” said senior shooting guard and team captain Sebastian Pedroza, who was selected to the CHSAA ‘B’ All-League team. “It’s the best ending you could ask for — city champions and state champions. I don’t think there’s a better feeling than that.” 

Coming into this season, the Crusaders varsity team received a jolt of talent from the underclassmen who won a junior varsity city title last year. 

“I knew we had a good team,” said ninth-year head coach Erich Naumann, this year’s CHSAA ‘B’ Division Coach of the Year for a second-straight season. “We were going to be young at certain positions. My biggest worry was defense. Once the team bought into playing man-to-man defense, I knew we were the team to beat.” 

Following last season’s disappointment of being ousted from the semifinals of the city tournament, then-junior power forward Jake Youngblood asked his coaches if he could immediately get back into the gym so that he would not have to experience that feeling of losing again. 

Youngblood delivered in big-time fashion this season and then some. The senior team captain led the way for the Crusaders en route to being named CHSAA ‘B’ Division M.V.P. 

“Being able to go on a run and end it like this is a great feeling,” Youngblood said. “Everyone blended in together right from the beginning of the year. We got comfortable with each other, and we were able to show that on the court by being able to talk to each other.” 

The Crusaders turned in a 10-2 regular season and then pulled off the improbable in the playoffs. Down by 11 with 4 minutes to go against Kennedy Catholic H.S., Somers, New York, Cathedral rallied late to win the city championship game. The next stop was Buffalo, where the Crusaders battled to a hard-fought 46-45 win over Bishop Tymon-St. Jude H.S., Buffalo, New York. 

“Being a small school makes this even more special,” said Naumann, who now has this state title to go along with two career city championships. “We’ve built a program here, and every year, we’re going to compete for championships. We’re not a one-year wonder.” 

Cathedral Prep has one more game to cap off this epic season: a matchup with the Public Schools Athletic League champion in their similar division on March 22.