Bob Daggett made it known early that he and his six former St. Peter’s players were no longer Eagles. The players, who followed the legendary coach to Curtis after the school closed in June, walked into their first practice wearing their blue and yellow St. Peter’s practice gear.
“I made them leave and go change it,” Daggett said. … “What we accomplished at St. Peter’s is nice, but it’s over.”
The players said in their first weeks at school they were identified by the Curtis students and faculty as the St. Peter’s girls and felt the pressure to win coming from the JV program of a school that had won 16 straight CHSAA Staten Island titles. The assimilation was quick and the players have become part of the school’s fabric.
Robert Cole
Curtis players pile on one another, while celebrating their victory,
Photos: Curtis-Goldstein
Robert Cole
Curtis players hug after winning.
Photos: Curtis-Goldstein
“They kept saying we were Peter’s girls when there is no more Peter’s,” sophomore Danielle Leguillou said. “We are all Warriors now.”
They are all champions as well.
No. 2 Curtis handled top-seeded Goldstein, 61-30, in the PSAL Class A girls basketball title game at CCNY yesterday. The Warriors, who lost in last year’s final with a much different roster, led 20-3 after the first quarter. Jessica Rosalbo banked in a 25-foot line drive 3-pointer to cap it. She, Olsen, Leguillou, Geena Rosalbo, Brittany Carroll and Gabriella Daddario all played at St. Peter’s last year.
Curtis (21-8) has outscored teams by a margin of 351-183 points in the playoffs and makes its first trip to the New York State Federation tournament since 2008.
“Everyone was telling us we were going to win it all,” said Kristen Olsen, who played with the St. Peter’s varsity last postseason. “We felt pressure that we had to get it accomplished, so we did.”
Leguillou, the game MVP, led all scorers with 15 points and helped hold Goldstein’s Brittany McDonough, who is headed to Chestnut Hill, to just two. Olsen tallied 10 points, Notre Dame Academy transfer Shannon McGill had nine and Jessica Rosalbo and Zuliette Adeniji both added eight. Danielle Natoli paced Goldstein (23-4) with eight points. Danielle Bonsignore and Nora Elbassiony each added seven.
“I didn’t expect it to be that easy,” Daggett said. “They are a pretty good team. We probably played as well as we can for awhile.”
The loss ends a special year for Goldstein that finished a win short of its goal. The Dolphins seniors won a Class B crown as sophomores and wanted to complete their careers with another crown. The first quarter was deflating along with the turnovers and Curtis answered a quick run to open the second quarter.
“They were playing quicker than us,” Elbassiony said. “We haven’t played teams that were that quick. Every time we would go for a rebound they would be right under us.”
Daggett believes his team’s run and McKee/Staten Island Tech playing in the city final Saturday at Madison Square Garden shows Staten Island A deserves two or three teams in the highest classification playoffs instead of just the division’s winner. Curtis lost both meetings to the MSIT this season.
“We will definitely be in ‘AA’ next year,” Leguillou said. “[If not] we are just going to have to win the ‘A’ again.”
jstaszewski@nypost.com
Danielle Leguillou, Bob Daggett, Kristen Olsen, Curtis, Jessica Rosalbo, Goldstein, Daggett, Leguillou
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