SYRACUSE -- It was a special night for everyone involved, the night Henninger dedicated its basketball court to the late Joe Mazella.
Mazella passed away suddenly on September 12, shocking the Henninger community. He was a role model for so many people that he coached, taught, and pretty much everyone he met. He led the Black Knights to the 2002 state basketball title, and even after he stopped coaching he was always a part of Henninger games.
The school held a ceremony before its Friday night game with Christian Brothers Academy as part of the Peppino’s Pizza Invitational. The ceremony presented a proclamation to Joe’s family with the formal dedication of the court from the Syracuse City School District. Many of Mazella’s past players walked onto the court to embrace his wife and children, in a touching moment, that surely had Henninger’s current team emotional heading into the contest.
Throughout most of the game the Black Knights were in control. Their trapping full court defense had the Brothers off balance all night.
In the first half, CBA was having all sorts of problems bringing the ball up the court and could not get their half court offense going and Henninger took a five point lead into the half 30-25.
It was much of the same in the third quarter, but you could sense that the Brothers were going to make a run. Down 46-39 at the start of the fourth, CBA went on a 7-0 run to tie the score with just over three minutes to go on a Tray Bullock lay up.
The lead wouldn’t last for long as the Black Knights came right down the court and got their first points of the fourth on a Tevin Chisholm lay up to go ahead 48-46.
But that would be the last lead the Black Knights would have as Chisholm’s runner with one second left was no good. The Brothers would hold on to win 53-51 in a heartbreaking loss for Henninger.
