MALDEN, Mass. — As the final seconds ticked away Wednesday night, Matt Gaffney knew the moment demanded a celebration. Malden Catholic’s captain walked down the bench, high-fiving everyone. Gaffney made sure to recognize every single member of the team – players and coaches included – to let them know the importance of what they had just accomplished.
The Lancers, with their 69-53 victory over BC High, clinched the Catholic Conference outright for the first time since 2021. For Gaffney, and the rest of his senior class, this league title in one of the toughest conferences in the MIAA meant even more. Almost unbelievably, this group that has won three consecutive Division 2 state championships, with a player as decorated as Gaffney, had not won its conference yet. Until Wednesday.
They made sure to soak it in. Moments after the game ended, the team posed at midcourt at Doherty Gymnasium for a photo. The Lancers certainly have dreams of another state title, but this was their first goal.
“It’s like a championship,” Gaffney said. “We haven’t done it yet, so it’s a really big deal. We’ve won three state titles and we haven’t won the Catholic Conference, so it’s a really big deal. So I kind of let everyone know that it’s a big deal. It’s a hard thing to do. …
“It kind of feels like a full circle moment because I haven’t done it yet. It’s really good for the guys because they’ll look back at this year and they can always look back at the banner and see 2025 Catholic Conference champs.”
