Jon Severe's steal and driving layup with just under two minutes left gave Christ the King the lead for good as they held off a talented Bishop Loughlin squad 77-71 home win last night.
Omar Calhoun's long three pointer that tied the score at 55 and Severe's play that came on the next Royals' possession put the brakes on what had been a furious rally by the Lions who stormed out of the locker room trailing 34=22 and quickly sliced into that margin. They spread the floor beautifully, using their quickness to slash to the basket for lay-ups. Khadeem Carrington who finished with 15 points and Jordan Nanton who added 12 provided the primary offensive spark for the third quarter rally and soph Elisha Boone scored during the stretch as well. Their good work and some cold shooting from the Royals made the score 42=39 at the end of three quarters and set the stage for what was as good a final quarter as you'll see at any level of basketball.
The audience for the game included many coaches and media people who are important to the fabric of local basketball. St. John's head coach Steve Lavin and assistant Tony Chiles, Rutgers assistant Van Macon Xavier assistant Rasheen Davis and MSG Television's Mike Quick were all likely present because the SNY event scheduled for last night at LIU thanks to a silly NCAA rule that prohibits high school games on division one college campuses. While this game may have been the second choice of these guys, what they saw was some great basketball, especially in those last 8 minutes.
Suddenly, Loughlin's "other" talented sophomore Mike Williams, who came back strong after a first half trip to the trainer's room to address a shoulder injury, found the range especially from three point distance. With the help of terrific penetration and passing from his teammates Williams hit four triples and 21 of his team high 26 points in the fourth quarter. As Impressive as that effort was, it was equally impressive that Christ the King had a strong response for every potential back breaking shot Williams made. Calhoun, who finished with 30 points answered as he always does, by scoring in a variety of ways while Severe not only continued the hot outside shooting that has punctuated a terrific junior season, but had a great game defensively beyond his clutch steal. While his perimeter partners for the Royals, Calhoun and fellow junior Isaiah Lewis are talented in their own right, Severe is the guy who gives the Royals a competitive edge with his tough defense and aggressive style at both ends of the floor. Davis came away impressed enough to offer Severe a scholarship. He finished with 17 points to go with that clutch steal and bucket and the Royals earned a great win against a talented young Loughlin squad that had a great game against the two-time defending league champions. Round 3 which may come in the diocesan or inter-sectional playoffs that sets up be a great one between a Loughlin squad that's gaining confidence and a Christ the King squad that keeps its place at the top of the league standings by finding ways to win
No comments:
Post a Comment