CAPITAL REGION, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Catholic Central boys’ basketball is on to the state championship game after a 65-52 victory over Southampton. All along the way of this successful season, they’ve been honoring the memory of a beloved classmate and friend.

The boys have been sporting warmup shirts that read “#4Dani” in honor of Danielle Marceline, a Catholic Central senior who tragically drowned and died while on vacation in Florida this past December. 

“She’s one of the first people I met, actually, coming to Catholic High,” said freshman guard Darien Moore, “and she was just a nice person. She played volleyball, she knew everybody, and she was just there for everybody, so we wanted to represent her and keep her in our community, and her name alive.”

Danielle’s mom, Christine, came out to support the boys’ team Saturday in Glens Falls. She first saw the shirts for Danielle while watching NEWS10 sports and recalled how it made her feel.

“I just started crying. It just warms my heart, and my husband’s, that they would think of her and want to include her in their success and play for her,” she said. “I know that she’s watching over these boys, because she loved basketball. A lot of those basketball players were her biggest cheerleaders when she was playing volleyball at Catholic High, so it’s just amazing. She’d be over the moon about it.”

Christine is now helping coach Danielle’s travel volleyball team, and says she can feel her daughter with her at practices and games. 

Catholic Central will play in the state championship game at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Cool Insuring Arena.