Severe And CK Beat Loughlin for Diocesan Title 80-65

`          

            Player of the year Jon Severe scored 19 of his 26 points in the second half as he and his Christ the King Royals beat Bishop Loughlin for the third time this season and took the Brooklyn-Queens Diocesan title 80-65 at Christ the King last night.

            Don't be mislead by the margin of victory. For three quarters this game mirrored the previous two that saw Christ the King win by two points. In fact, Loughlin used a late rally that included a deep three pointer from Mike Williams and a tough off balance jumper from Kadeem Carrington to take a 41-37 lead into halftime. As he always does Williams provided great scoring (11 points in the first half) and intensity. And thanks partially to Williams good work on defense Severe was held to just 7 first half points.

            While Loughlin's defensive effort delayed Severe's big scoring night other Royals stepped up and played great. Junior guard Andre Walker finished with 16 points for the game and junior center Adonis Delarosa had 12 points 10 rebounds and one beautiful post pass assist to Walker for a key basket. The Royals also got a key contribution from freshman forward Rawle Atkins, who added six points and a needed physical presence inside.

            For Lions' star Kadeem Carrington the aforementioned tough jumper was an indication of a great game.  He finished with 21 points of his own while Loughlin's own improving junior center Anthony Vernon finished with 16. Severe made a terrific adjustment to begin the second half driving the ball to the basket. It's worth noting here that in addition to his 26 points he added 10 rebounds. Several of those were tough "in traffic" rebounds that demonstrated not only his great athleticism, but his determination as well.

            Even though Christ the King came out with better energy in the second half, the Lions still lead 47-45 with 2:18 left in the third quarter when Williams fell hard trying for an offensive rebound. He was down for a few minutes but luckily it was just a cramp.  With Williams out of the game Severe took advantage, curling off a screen for a deep three pointer that gave CK the lead for good. Williams re-entered the game to start the final quarter after Severe and the Royals extended their margin  The cramps flared up again with 4:48 left in the game and he'd finish with just two points in the second half. Carrington and the Lions kept fighting but the Royals were just a bit better and secured the top seed on the Brooklyn-Queens side of the bracket for the intersectional playoffs. Loughlin earned the 2nd seed and both teams will begin the intersectional playoffs in the quarter finals.

            Cardinal Hayes and St. Ray's who will meet today to determine the Archdiocese of New York champion will have the other two top seeds. These 4 teams along with teams like Molloy and Stepinac who are capable of  scoring upsets set the stage for what should be another great post season in the CHSAA "AA" Division.