February 23, 2025

St. Mary’s High School varsity boys basketball celebrates seniors

REGIONAL
Story and photo by Nick Morganelli

Pictured left to right: Asst. Coach Drew Collins, Tim Moran, Ben King, Lucas Morganelli, Caeleb Spragu,e and Coach Shawn Dominik.

WESTFIELD— The St. Mary’s Saints finished their basketball season on Thursday, Feb. 20th, with a road trip to Williamstown to face Mt. Greylock Regional High School. That game added to the loss column as they finished with a record of 5 – 15 after having a 4 – 6 record mid-season.

At a recent home game against Pathfinder Regional, it was a win for the Saints and the four seniors on the varsity team were celebrated and recognized for their contributions to the team. 

Tim Moran was injured in the fall in a soccer game that prevented him from playing much of the season. Coach Shawn Dominik said his season amounted to just the last four games, but that he learned a lot in his first year playing hoop.

“He’s a great athlete defensively and it’s unfortunate that he wasn’t playing the whole season,” said Dominik. 

Playing in his second season was Caeleb Sprague, shooting guard for the saints.  Coach commented, “He’s great for that outside shot and he’s going to be another senior whose leadership will be missed. Honestly, he’s Mr. Congeniality. Everyone on the team loves him.”

Lucas Morganelli scored just two points in the game on senior night, but he made it when it counted, scoring a layup with just four seconds on the clock. The team went on to win by just one point. In Coach Dominik’s decade of coaching basketball, he said Morganelli has been the most improved athlete he has seen.

“Lucas is the most physical member of the team, takes care of himself, is strong, and brings a physicality that not a lot of the other teammates display. He never says a bad word, always asks questions, and has been a knowledge sponge which undoubtedly contributed to his improvement in the game,” said Dominik.

Morganelli said he learned a lot on the court that applies to everything in life.

“Coach taught me the importance of discipline both on the court and in my daily life. He trained us to win and never lost faith in our ability to win games.” said Morganelli.

Ben King has played basketball, baseball and soccer during his four years at St. Mary’s. He spoke highly of Coach Dominik saying “I appreciate his passion and enthusiasm for the game. It brings us energy that we need. He goes above and beyond to help the team better themselves.”

Coach Dominik called King out on his speed and athleticism and said  “That makes him our defensive stopper. He has been phenomenal in that role and he has shut down some of the best players in our league, especially at crunch time. He’s going to be a huge loss for the team next year and those are very big shoes we’ll have to fill.”

“Bottom line, we’re going to miss all four seniors. All four are great young men and will do well with whatever they pursue, I have faith in that and personally, I will miss them all very much.” said Dominik.