Not only did varisty basketball coach Joseph Balestracci receive a Legacy Award honoring his work at Bishop Stang, he got to watch the Spartans demolish the Old Regional Rochester Bulldogs.

During a match Friday night, the Spartans sailed to victory with a final score of 78-51. At no point in the game did it appear that the Bulldogs would have a shot at pulling ahead.

Both teams have had successful seasons. While the Spartans lost to rival Bishop Feehan last month, the players haven’t looked back since, winning the last five games for a season total of 15-2. Last night's game was the second loss for the Bulldogs.

Coach Balestracci, who was active between 1995 and 2014, was impressed with Stang’s line-up this season, calling them “the most athletic team I’ve ever seen.”

The Spartans displayed that athleticism early in the first quarter as the Spartans snatched the ball from the Bulldogs – over and over. Senior Greg Fernando finished the first quarter with a dynamic leap, bringing the score to 23-9.

With arms outstretched, the ORR players put up a strong defense throughout the second quarter. The Spartans broke through, however, landing two throws seconds before halftime.

The second half began with some strong defense from Bulldog Matthew Valles. At 6’6”, he was able to steal the ball as it bounced off the backboard and launch it down the court. Star Spartan Avery DeBrito worked his magic and brought the ball back with his teammates, bringing the score to 60-36.

With a large gap to close, the Bulldogs came alive during the final few minutes of the game. With two and a half minutes on the clock, the score tightened to 69-51. DeBrito wouldn’t let ORR take the game, scoring twice within seconds. The crowd responded with shouts of “We love Avery!”

With one final, impressive shot from beneath the hoop, Fernando ended the game, 78-51.

“These guys are really good,” said Balestracci.

Principal Peter Shaughnessy gave the Legacy Award to the former coach during halftime, where Balestracci was honored for his “unparalleled commitment” to students. Not only were the bleachers packed with young fans of the two teams, former players whom Balestracci coached were present.

While the fans were vocal with their support throughout the game, perhaps the biggest show of enthusiasm came during Balestracci’s acceptance speech, when he mentioned inviting players over to his house for his wife’s cooking.

“Every year, the kids would come over and we’d have lasagna dinners,” said Balestracci. “We used to have bowling tournament at the end of every season. We’d have banquets. It was all part of making it more than just basketball.”

He said that his strongest memories from his time as coach weren’t the wins and loses. Mostly, he remembers the strong character that his players demonstrated. He recalled Matt Benoit, a student who died unexpectedly in 2006.

“The team came together and honored that boy the entire season. It was amazing to see how kids can make something good out of a tragedy like that,” said Balestracci. “The kids put his jersey on the bench every game. When it came time for senior night, they honored his parents.”

“They all did better because they were doing it for Matt,” he added. “I learned a lot from all of them.”