Crusaders' Take First New York Title Since '84 With Win Vs. Hayes

       Last week when CHSAA basketball chairman Paul Gilvary decided to break the tie between Iona Prep and Cardinal Hayes for the top seed in the New York Archdiocesan playoffs using the combined score of the game between St. John’s and DePaul on the 21^st the internet chatter that followed was filled with one prevailing notion. The best part of winning the top seed, which went to defending intersectional champ Cardinal Hayes, was that that they would avoid facing Archbishop Stepinac until the championship round. The third seeded Crusaders proved the internet “experts” were right on the mark, as they’re great work in the Archdiocesan tournament culminated with a convincing 78-62 win over Hayes this afternoon at Mount St. Michael’s

   With the win the Crusaders will enter next week’s quarter final round as the top seed on the New York side of the CHSAA’s “AA” playoff bracket. Cardinal Hayes will be the #2 seed while Christ the King and Molloy will be the top seeds on the Brooklyn-Queens side of the bracket.

      Senior wingman Alan Griffin led the Crusaders with what for him was a typically full stat line; 29 points (including 5-7 from 3pt. distance) 11 boards 2 assists and a steal. His hot shooting start helped Stepinac stay close despite some early hot shooting from Hayes. The defending city champions led 15-11 after the opening quarter but behind both Alan and his super freshman brother A.J., who finished with 20 points of his own, Stepinac outscored Hayes 23-12 in the 2^nd period and led 34-27 at the intermission. The lead was precarious though because Alan Griffin had picked up his third foul late in the half.  It would have been smaller but RJ Davis banked in a buzzer beating triple to end the half. He finished with 22 points of his own.

                Alan Griffin connected on two early triples to open the second half and he combined with RJ Davis and his brother AJ to extend Stepinac’s margin to as many as 22 points early in a third quarter that also saw the first of two signature moments from AJ Griffin. He took a pass from Eddie Sanchez and flushed down a powerful one-handed dunk that brought the Stepinac crowd to its feet and drew gasps of astonishment form the rest of the audience. Freshmen just aren’t supposed to do stuff like that.

    Hayes responded with a 14-2 run to trim that 22-point margin to 10 at 62-52 with just under 5 minutes remaining in the final quarter. The rally was particularly impressive because part of it was waged without star guard Joe Toussaint who fouled out with 7 minutes to go. That’s when the second of AJ Griffin’s signature moments happened. And while this one may not have been as physically spectacular as the earlier dunk it may have told scouts in the audience much more about how good he is as a prospect for the next level and beyond.

                The play began with AJ looking for a pass on the wing and when Hayes denied that option he sprinted across the baseline to the left corner, he took a hand-off and calmly drained a triple and converted the free throw for a 4-point play.  The shot was outstanding, but the movement without the ball indicates that the young freshman is wise beyond his years. That play combined with late free throws from Davis and brother Alan’s effort from start to finish helped Stepinac put the game, and the school’s first Diocesan title since 1984 on ice.

                For Cardinal Hayes, Toussaint and Tyrese Williams led the way but they cooled off after a good start and could not quite get untracked with their 3-point shooting game. Make no mistake, they remain a tough minded defending champion and could find themselves cutting the nets down in what figures to be a must watch intersectional tournament.

Meyers' Game Winner Helps Royals Beat Molloy for B-Q Title

     Ryan Meyers’ s clutch trey gave Christ the King a 56-53 lead over Molloy with 2.9 seconds left to play. The basket was the result of a perfectly executed “pick and pop” play between Meyers and senior point guard Tyson Walker. Working off of a screen set by Meyers, Walker kept his dribble alive and dragged Molloy’s defense slightly to the left before pitching a perfect pass back to Meyers who was shot-ready and waiting. With a lefty follow through that has become familiar to the Royals’ foes and followers of the CHSAA the shot swished perfectly and set the stage for an ending that had an unusual twist and had drama befitting the Diocesan “AA” title that was on the line.

                On the next possession, Molloy inbounded the ball quickly to the nation’s best junior point guard Cole Anthony. Perhaps because Anthony had had a spectacular 4^th quarter that included to 3-pointers as well as several tough drives, the Royals fouled quickly, putting him on the line where even if he made both free throws he could not tie the game.  The problem with that strategy was that the foul came almost too quickly as only .9 seconds came off the clock when Anthony stepped to the line. He calmly drained the first cutting CK’s margin to just two points, and then purposely missed the second hoping for an offensive rebound. When Christ the King took the miss down the Royals’ player took a few steps without dribbling. When the referee, correctly, in my judgement called a travel and put .4 seconds back on the clock it set the stage for the Stanners’ one final chance inbounding the ball from under their own basket.

                The Stanners nearly completed a perfect game-tying play of their own, using a cross screen for Anthony to set up a lob pass to him at the rim. With so little time left he put it up on the rim quickly and softly but it bounced off giving CK a well-earned win and the 2018 Brooklyn-Queens Diocesan title.

                The two teams played a tight game from the opening moments which set the stage for the dramatic conclusion. The Royals held a 15-9 advantage after one quarter but the Stanners staged a rally that culminated with a Moses Brown dunk to tie the game at 22 at half time.

     Behind 16 third quarter points from Tyson Walker, who played brilliantly through an apparent thigh injury, the Royals took a 40-35 advantage into the final stanza and quickly bumped that margin to 7 on a short, contested jumper by Tavin Pierre Philippe on the final quarter’s first possession.

   

Molloy then responded quickly behind Anthony, who scored 14 of his game-high 32 points in the final quarter. His effort included N.B.A. range triples as well as well contested drives. The most spectacular of all those great plays came after a triple from Meyers gave the Royals a 51-50 lead and a twisting jumper by Kofi Cockburn gave the Royals a 53-50 lead with just over 21 seconds left. From there Anthony eschewed the 3-point shot and instead drove the right baseline, drew contact from the Royals’ 6’11” freshman Moussa Cisse and flipped in a perfect reverse layup. The free throw that completed the three-point play tied the game at 53 and ultimately set the stage for what would be Meyers’ second clutch shot and the ending that followed. The Royals earned their third win this season against the Stanners but make no mistake, each game has been decided by a razor thin margin and if the two teams meet again in next week’s intersectional playoffs anything can happen. And since each game between them this season has been better than the last, round 4 will be a game for the ages.

Remembering an old Friend and Great Coach Tim Leary

                                Before I begin writing this story I must first extend condolences to the family coach Tim Leary, who passed away this morning after a battle with cancer.

                He is remembered primarily as the boys’ varsity coach at St. Francis Prep, a job he held for 43 seasons and where he won over 600 games. Although all but a small portion of his coaching life was spent at the Prep campus on Francis Lewis Boulevard he was, for lack of better phrases, both a Brooklyn lifer and a basketball lifer.

    As a young athlete he was a two-sport star, in baseball and basketball, for The Prep when the school was located in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. As a senior in 1963 he lead the Little Terriers to the CHSAA’s intersectional final where they lost to Power Memorial and the Hall of Fame center known then as Lew Alcindor and known now as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. His skill and competitiveness in both baseball and basketball helped him earn a scholarship to Manhattan College in Riverdale.

     Following his graduation from Manhattan, he began coaching both varsity baseball at St. Francis Prep and varsity basketball at St. Augustine High School in Brooklyn where he took over for the legendary Charlie O’Donnell.  When that school closed in 1969, he became jv hoops coach at St. Francis before moving to the varsity level at the 1973-74 season. He remained in that position until his retirement at the end of the 2017 season.

                On paper Coach Leary’s legacy will include 10 division titles, 600 wins and an “A” division title in 1992. But for a coaching lifer like Tim the numbers aren’t really what matters. During the 1980’s and ‘90’s when it seemed like every team in the CHSAA had talented prospects, Mr. Leary’s teams were often referred to as “the Princeton of our league” by the coaches he competed against. That meant his teams were disciplined and smart on offense while being tough and rugged on defense. Former players such as Rashad Bell and Bryan Geffen excelled at the division one level and as professionals overseas. While many others continued to play basketball at the D-II and D-III levels. In addition to his coaching Mr. Leary touched kids lives as a teacher at John Ericsson Middle School in Brooklyn.  Perhaps because of his experience as both a coach and teacher he will also be remembered for both his direct way of speaking and his sense of humor. Conversations with him were often funny and always brief and informative. He always made his point clearly and succinctly. Rest in Peace old friend yours was a life well lived in service to the children of our city.

McPherson's Buzzer Beating Three-Pointer Helps CK Survive Molloy 61-58

     Senior guard Tyson Walker executed a perfect drive and dish to sophomore teammate Quaran McPherson who calmly buried a 3-point shot as time expired and gave Christ the King a 61-58 win over home standing Archbishop Molloy in one of the best basketball games you will find here in New York at any level.

    A week ago, the two teams played a terrific game before a national television audience with the Royals pulling out a 64-61 win at home against the Stanners. In that game Molloy, behind a brilliant effort from junior Cole Anthony, the Stanners led for much of the game before the Royals rallied to win. Last night’s game had a similar feel to it except that after a strong first quarter start by Molloy it was the Royals who seized control after that and held it nearly to the finish line. They did it with a balanced offense. With Walker, the point guard at the controls, the Royals found scoring on the perimeter from sophomore Ryan Meyers, who finished with a team high 14 points, junior Tavin Pierre Philipe and McPherson. They also went inside to their twin towers, 6’11” junior Kofi Cockburn and freshman Moussa Cisse, who combined for 19 very forceful points and provided a consistent defensive presence in the lane and at the rim. The continued progress of those two big men has been great to see during the course of the season. As he has all season long Cisse has shown terrific running ability and balance, while Cockburn combines a strong frame with improving hands and shooting touch. Perhaps most important for the success of the two youngsters at the next level is that they compete on the glass for rebounds and to protect the rim for every single possession they’re in the game. It should be noted here that Molloy’s own 7-footer, recent UCLA commit Moses Brown did the best he could working for touches against CK’s two talented big men. He ran hard, posted strong and demanded the ball but because the Stanners struggled to punch the ball inside he finished with just 8 points.

   Behind their balanced attack, Christ the King lead by 3 at the intermission, pushed that lead to 6 after three quarters and were ahead 58-48 with 1:38 left to play in the final quarter. Molloy than began their rally with the help of a pair of triples, one deep and one contested off the dribble, by Anthony, the Stanners tied the game at 58 with 10 seconds left. Anthony, who finished with a game high 31 points, appeared to help his team send the game into overtime.

   Walker had other ideas and drove the ball into the middle of the lane and kicked it to a waiting McPherson who drained his game winning shot. The Royals had their season sweep of their arch rivals, a precious road win in league play and, perhaps most significantly a well-earned win where the battle test they got against a tough Molloy team on the road will serve them well come playoff time.