A Shot For Life comes full circle with All-Star games at Catholic Memorial, where it all began
Fifteen years ago, as a senior at Catholic Memorial, Mike Slonina launched what would become A Shot For Life from his school’s gymnasium.
Inspired by his mother’s experience undergoing treatment for a brain tumor at the Massachusetts General Cancer Center, Slonina shot a basketball for 24 consecutive hours to raise money for cancer research. The fund-raiser’s success led him to establish the ASFL organization, a nonprofit that has raised millions of dollars for cancer research and now hosts events in eight sports across six states.
The annual ASFL Massachusetts boys’ and girls’ basketball All-Star Games, held Wednesday evening, marked a full circle moment for Slonina as the event returned to CM for the first time since his initial fund-raiser in 2011.
“We’re incredibly excited and honored to have this come back home to Catholic Memorial for the first time,” said Slonina. “This is where it all started, and you see how much it’s grown.”
The all-star festivities brought together premier players from the MIAA and NEPSAC and featured five 12-minute periods played with a running clock and fast-paced style. In the girls’ game, Team White topped Team Blue, 142-119, and the boys’ contest featured a 211-205 victory for Team White.
The girls’ contest was dominated by Dexter Southfield rising sophomore Avery Bollin, who led Team White with 29 points. Bishop Fenwick graduate Celia Neilson, who will spend a post-grad year at Tilton (N.H.) after winning a Division 3 title, provided 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists.
A 6-foot-3-inch forward who has generated high-major Division 1 interest, Bollin soared over defenders for layups and showcased her range with a trio of 3-pointers in the first two quarters.
Bollin played while thinking of multiple family members, including her uncle, who battled stomach cancer, and her aunt, who fought breast cancer.
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“I saw [my uncle] struggle, and I saw him overcome it,” said Bollin. “So just playing for a bigger cause than just myself, and playing the sport I love for something that also involves helping people — that’s really important to me.”
The boys’ matchup was played at a feverish pace, and one beneficiary was recent CATS Academy graduate Jaxson Terry — a Boston University signee — who delivered a number of highlight-reel slams in transition.
Despite the eye-popping offensive numbers, the game remained close throughout and was tied, 166-166, through four periods. Team Blue led by 1 with under two minutes to play, before consecutive transition layups from Zach Baum (Nobels) and Josh Roux (Andover) and a 3-point dagger from Jack Olinto (Archbishop Williams) put Team White ahead for good.
“I have a family member that’s been affected by cancer, so this is absolutely a personal thing to me,” said Baum, a 6-8 center headed to Bowdoin. “This is now my second year in a row playing in this, and it just gets better every time … ever since last July, I’ve been waiting to get back here. This is some of the most fun I’ve had playing basketball.”
The selection process took place over three months, as players were scouted by ASFL staff and underwent formal interviews. Each participant raised at least $1,000 for the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center.
The basketball program concludes Sunday with the ASFL Challenge, a shooting competition featuring the same roster of players as Wednesday’s games that crowns the best male and female shooters in Massachusetts.
The basketball events have raised nearly $50,000 entering Wednesday, Slonina said, with that number expected to climb by Sunday.
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