St. Thomas the Apostle rallied to win the big-school title, and St. Vincent avenged their only loss of the season to win the small-school division crown Wednesday in the CYAA 8th-grade boys basketball championships at Christ Lutheran School.

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Foul shooting down the stretch by St. Thomas was the demise of Pope John in a hard-fought 29-25 game.

“These young men of Saint Thomas really came together and played well,” said Saint Thomas coach Alden Carbine. “The effort they gave, since they were in the losers bracket, was incredible.”

Pope John held a 15-12 lead at halftime. Kobe Foppe and Billy Littleton both made three-point shots for Pope John. Jack Bonacci made two baskets in the first half.

First half scorers for St. Thomas included Christian Maggi with a three-pointer and Chris Anger with four points.

Pope John extended the lead to 20-14 after three quarters before Alec Carbine sank two threes and Michael Christifolli another to lead the St. Thomas comeback. Foul shots by Christifolli and Brian Woodward sealed the win.

“They beat us every year,” said coach Carbine. “They are real character people … it’s always a pleasure to play [Pope John].”

Jordan Schleuter had seven points for Pope John. Other scorers for Pope John were Thomas Archer and Leon LaJunesse with three points each. The roster also included Frank Ciriello, Alan Turcott, Steven Cordovana, Malcom Giles and Dylan Horyza.

The St. Thomas roster included Colin Tawney, Kevin Bauer, Anthony Leonard, Sebastian Laguna, Mikey Bayham, Jack Hutt and Kevin Dwork.

St. Vincent 30, St. Gregory 27.

The teams had split two games during the season, St. Gregory winning in the tournament and handing St. Vincent their only loss of the year. The rematch drew an amped crowd.

“Last year, these boys as JVs didn’t win one game. This year they went 17-1. It’s just amazing, and I’m very proud,” said Jim Robins, St. Vincent coach.

St. Vincent’s accuracy from the foul line was a key. Josh Sachs sunk 10-of-16 foul shots, finishing with 14 points for the game.

Jonah Mayers led St. Gregory scorers with 17 points, many from the three-point arc.

Tristan Estfan, Josh Sanders and David Aldaco also scored for St. Vincent. Ronnie Ramirez, Abdiel Gonzalez and Alex Hasbun scored for St. Vincent, whose roster also included Jorge Tovar, Gabe Garcia, Juan Camargo, Esteban Flores, Robert Mendoza, Chris Becerril and Majok Madut.

The St. Gregory roster included Nick Wheat, Eddie Faillace, Armando Zamora, Miko De la Cruz and Chandler Hagg.