Bloodied But Not Bowed Molloy Upends CK 83-76

          It would have been easy to excuse a poor effort from Archbishop Molloy last night.  After all, legendary coach Jack Curran, the 82 year old coach who is finishing his 55th season on the sidelines for the Stanners was forced to miss the game after he slipped on ice at home and fractured his kneecap.

          Ironically, that announcement, moments before the start of last night's game against Christ the King was just the beginning of the Stanners' physical woes.  During the first quarter forwards Justin Brown and Marco Kozul both left the game after they were accidently hit in the face. Brown's nose was bloodied while it appeared Kozul's mouth was swollen thanks to an inadvertent elbow.

          Kozul combined with guards CJ Davis and Chazz Wattler to give the Stanners a hot shooting start and offset a similarly fast beginning for the Royals who got scoring outside from guard Jon Severe and inside from Adonis DeLaRosa and Jordan Fuchs. Christ the King led going into halftime and throughout much of the game but could never quite put distance between themselves and the Royals.

          Kozul, who may be Severe's only legitimate challenger for Player of the Year honors in the league, finished 21 points and 13 rebounds battled fearlessly against the Royals' front line, making himself such a pest that he drew a technical foul against DeLaRosa  just as Davis was fouled on a . the/three point shot. Between them they made 4 of 5 free throws to cut a 5 point deficit to one in the closing moments of the third period.

          From there it was up to Davis to help Molloy seize control of the game and get the Stanners a great win. Included in a great 4th quarter were a deep three ball, a perfectly timed hesitation dribble on the fast break that set up a pass to Wattler for two of his 18 points, and several other plays that demonstrated his ability to see one pass or play ahead of the game. He would finish with 27 points 6 boards and 7 assists. Several of the helpers came on what may be the best two-handed chest pass New York basketball has seen since Pearl Washington.

          Kozul and Davis were the mainstays of a great effort for the Stanners.  They had help from Jason Cethoute the improving junior who continued to give them energy rebounding and rim protection. The win moved Molloy past Loughlin into the 2nd seed in the Brooklyn Queens Diocesan playoffs that begin Monday. For the Royals Malik Harmon continued his ascendant play scoring 22 points and adding 6 assists while Severe added 19. The Royals had already secured the top seed in the Diocesan playoffs.  They played hard and well with an undefeated league season on the line but Molloy played and shot exceptionally well. Both teams appear ready for another great post season in the CHSAA "AA" league.