Griffin Brothers Help Stepinac Cap Playoff Run with Title Win Over CK

    Archbishop Stepinac used a 24-10 third quarter that would ultimately prove decisive in their 74-65 win over Christ the King for the CHSAA’s “AA” New York City championship. The win was the school’s first at the highest level of basketball since 1960 and capped a terrific playoff run lead by Illinois-bound senior Alan Griffin who was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. While the third quarter may have been decisive, the true turning point may have come in the closing moments of the first half.

    Christ the King had been able to build a 28-19 advantage in the second quarter thanks in no small measure to what was shaping up to be a dominant effort from both of Christ the King’s big men.  Moussa Cisse, the Royals’ 6’11” freshman center is, simply put an agile big man who has none of the awkwardness that happens when a young athlete grows so tall so early in his development. The full range of his abilities, running, finishing at the rim and especially shot blocking were on display as Christ the King forged their early lead. The Royals “other” twin tower Kofi Cockburn was every bit as impactful on the game while displaying different skills. His rebounding, ability to finish with powerful dunks and his soft touch from the key combined with Cisse and enough complimentary play from CK’s guards to gain the lead. Stepinac was making enough plays to stay within striking distance as they stayed aggressive against the challenge of the two talented bigs but it wasn’t until those closing moments that they gained some footing and outscored the Royals 9-2 as the second quarter drew to a close. That rally came to a dramatic and perhaps momentum changing conclusion when Xavier Wilson set a well-timed brush screen that helped give RJ Davis just enough room to knock down a 3-pointer as time expired. The score was suddenly 30-28 and the stage would be set for an exciting second half.  Then, after CK’s Ryan Meyers from beyond the arc, and RJ Davis, on a basket and foul scored three points each to open the third quarter, Alan Griffin went to work. And while his efforts in previous playoff games had been punctuated by great shooting and high scoring numbers, his third quarter effort was more indicative of the complete player he’s shown himself to be in two varsity seasons at Stepinac.

   It began on the defensive end, with a block of Cockburn followed by what became a “hockey assist” pass to brother AJ who immediately shoveled a perfect dime to Joel Soriano for two. Then, he drove the length of the floor for a missed layup that was quickly followed in by Wilson. After that he fielded a CK miss, again pushed the tempo and again found his brother, this time with a bounce pass that got him a perfect step up jumper for two more.

   Following a Royals’ time-out Alan went right back to work deflecting a CK pass to AJ who returned the ball to his older brother in transition for a powerful dunk. A two from the left elbow and converting all the free throws when fouled on a triple would add to the elder Griffin’s virtuoso 3^rd period. During this stretch Griffin also made a terrific hustle play when Moussa Cisse blocked a shot and then sprinted the length of the floor for what should have been a dunk were it not for Alan’s hustle and ability to get just enough of it to keep Cisse from scoring. Following a powerful dunk by Cockburn AJ found reserve guard Ed Sanchez for a triple that gave the Crusaders their first double digit margin. Despite the efforts of the Royals’ in the 4^th quarter Stepinac was able to hold them off in part thanks to two rally-stopping baskets by AJ Griffin, the poised freshman finished with 19 points. RJ Davis added 12 with a team high 6 assists while Wilson who made lots of important plays that won't show up in the box score also had his best statistical game with 13 points and 8 boards. Alan Griffin capped off his MVP performance with 20 points 8 rebounds (all on the defensive end) 3 blocks and 2 steals.

   For Christ the King Ryan Meyers finished with 18 points, and tied Cockburn, who added 15 rebounds for team high scoring honors. College coaches will likely find the perfect 6-6 free throws on Kofi’s stat line especially impressive. Finally, a statistical measure of just how great Moussa Cisse’s effort was he finished with 10 points 11 rebounds and *gulp* 12 blocks.  And for those who need reminding yes this is the stat line from a championship game built by a high school freshman.

    Pat Massouroni’’s squad won the day despite a great effort for Joe Arbitello’s Royals. While both teams lose talented seniors like Alan Griffin and Xavier Wilson for Stepinac and Tyson Walker for the Royals, both these teams have players who will not only keep their teams among the region’s best but will take a national stage as high school players. While a great season comes to an end it could mark the beginning of a great time not only for these teams but for high school basketball in the metropolitan area.

Wins For Stepinac And CK Sets up Battle of Champions For "AA" Crown

     As I did in my quarterfinal recap I’d like to begin with some thoughts, this time as a preview of the final game rather than on the state of the league. I’ve been watching these games for a while and I can’t recall the last time two champions; New York champ Stepinac and Brooklyn-Queens champ Christ the King, have met for the league’s intersectional title. What that means from a competitive standpoint is that two teams will play each other that share much more than championship pedigree in common. Both teams are extremely well balanced, both with respect to multiple scoring options, and with the ability to score inside as well as outside. They’re both loaded with talented underclassmen, including a freshman for each team, AJ Griffin for Stepinac and Moussa Cisse for CK, who figure to be national recruits in 2021, and they both have senior leadership that has helped their young team mates navigate a tough league in the regular season and through the playoffs. Add to that mix to fine coaches in Joe Arbitello for CK and Pat Massaroni and all the ingredients are in place for what should be a great championship game. Now without further delay let me get to recapping the games with an eye toward what might happen Sunday.

 Christ the King 72 Cardinal Hayes 64 The defending champion Cardinal found a much different Royals team than the one they beat handily to open the season.  Christ the King has gone through a season long process of learning how to play well together at both ends of the floor and they appear to be playing their best basketball when it matters most.

   On Thursday the Royals used a 15-0 first quarter spurt to fire what would ultimately be a decisive blow. In that season opening loss the Cardinal drilled the Royals from 3-point distance and this time they not only did a terrific job closing out to Hayes’ shooters but also corralling their guards trying to get dribble penetration. Senior leader Tyson Walker along with talented sophomore Quaron McPherson played terrific perimeter defense and McPherson, who has been the team’s best perimeter defender all season gave them a boost offensively during that run. The Royals’ first quarter margin grew to as many as 19 points and they maintained nearly all of that leading 41-25 at the half

     Hayes got off the deck quickly to begin the second half behind a triple each from seniors Tyrese and Jontai Williams. They combined with Joe Toussaint, who had a difficult game shooting from beyond the arc but made the wise decision to drive to the basket, to bring the lead to single digits before the Royals, thanks to hard work at the rim and a soft touch from the key by 6’11” junior Kofi Cockburn who scored 8 points in the third period. Hayes made another run in the final period that culminated in a trey by Terry Dawkins that trimmed CK’s margin to 63-59 with 2:17 left. A “hoop & harm” 3-point play by Walker who finished with a team high 21 points gave the Royals some breathing room and they put the finishing touches on a great win at the line. Cockburn added 20 and 19 boards for CK while Tyrese Williams had a game high 22 for Hayes.

Stepinac 88 Molloy 84 The Crusaders and the Stanners met for the rematch of last season’s semi-final that saw Molloy escape with a one-point win on free throws that followed a controversial foul call in the closing seconds. Perhaps because Molloy knew they’d get Stepinac’s best shot and Stepinac wanted badly to avenge the loss the two teams traded blows in the form of great play from start to finish. They emerged from a see-saw first quarter deadlocked at 16 as both teams played to the strengths of their offense. For Molloy that meant gaining an early advantage by going inside to Moses Brown while for Stepinac it meant relying on early scoring and playmaking from super sophomore RJ Davis.

                In the second quarter Stepinac’s senior backcourt star Alan Griffin picked up the scoring challenge, torching Molloy’s defense for 16 of his 31 points. Keep in mind though that he is part of a deep senior class of wing players in our region and his counterpart for Molloy, Khalid Moore was just as good, doing yeoman work along the base line and in the paint. The Stanners nearly took a 5-point lead at half but a leaning triple by the elder Griffin made Molloy’s advantage 38-36.

     Stepinac rode the momentum of Griffin’s triple into the 3^rd period when improving center Joel Soriano surprised Moses Brown with a well-timed block that lead to a tough Davis basket in transition. Davis followed with another tough basket and it appeared Molloy was on its heels for a moment. The Stanners rallied behind Anthony and Moore and regained the lead when Moore scooped up an Anthony deflection for a powerful finish.

                While Davis and Anthony did not guard each other, they engaged in a terrific scoring battle throughout the final period. Davis not only used his craftiness to score at the rim at times against a challenge from Brown, but he was absolute murder in the middle, pulling up and hitting jumpers with great efficacy. Molloy and Anthony kept making plays and staying within striking distance. And when Brown followed an Anthony miss got fouled and converted the free throw the game was just 82-81 with 21 seconds left. Molloy then fouled Davis who calmly sank both free throws. When Moore missed a triple that would have tied it Davis was fouled again and sank two more. Anthony would then bank home an off-balance triple to make the score 86-84 but Davis was money from the line for the third time and provided the final margin.  Davis finished with a game high 33 for Stepinac.

    Two well-earned wins by two teams that enter the game as champions set up what should be an epic final on Sunday. In New York which will forever be known as a pro sports town, this game between two great high school teams is as good as any you will find in New York or anywhere else.

Top Seeds Survive Tough Tests on CHSAA Quarterfinal Sunday

    Before I begin recapping the games from yesterday’s “quarterfinal Sunday” I’d like to, with the kind indulgence of those who might read this, make a general observation about them. The games between St. Peter’s and CK, as well as the one between Molloy and Iona Prep demonstrate how deep “AA” league has been this season. While all four of the top seeds survived Molloy and CK did so against teams that feature prospects that will play and succeed on good teams in college basketball. The Iona Prep team that Molloy beat featured three D-! seniors.  Christ the King beat a St. Peter’s team that has a terrific core of junior players. One of them, Chris Ledlum, is a versatile 6’6” forward who is a certain D-1 prospect while others such as guard Chris Clancy should draw interest from both D-1 and D-2 programs and may, with a solid summer become a solid D-1 prospect. The games, were fiercely competitive and showed off some great individual talent. Here are my recaps:

Christ the King 59 St. Peter’s 55 The Eagles from Staten Island served notice early that this game would be a battle for the top seeded Royals. Junior Chris Clancy and senior Kaleb Hicks got them started on offense in part because the Royals and guard Quaran McPherson paid special attention to Ledlum. To their credit St. Peter’s stayed patient against the Royals defense and when Ledlum finally got loose and drained a pair of three pointers early in the second quarter the Eagles held a brief 5-point advantage. The young Royals found their footing late in the quarter and took a 1-point advantage into the intermission.

   The third quarter saw the Royals appear to gain some breathing space. Senior guard Tyson Walker and sophomore Ryan Meyers got the Royals’ 3-point game going with help from Cockburn and Moussa Cisse. The tough work on the boards by the two big men helped Meyers and Walker get the best kind of 3-point chances; those in transition and off offensive rebounds where the Eagles’ defense had to scramble. The Royals’ good work combined with Ledlum being forced to the bench by foul problems helped them build a 44-32 margin as the fourth quarter began.

     Ledlum helped the Eagles begin a rally to start the 4^th stanza. First. he made a great bounce pass assist to 6’4” junior Jamal Achille and then converted a basket of his own. When junior guard Jordan Fox connected on a triple with 1:21 remaining the Royals’ margin was just 54-51. CK’s Walker then found Cockburn on a pick and roll pass for a basket and then they salted the game away with free throws. Walker led the way for CK with 22 points and 6 assists while Cockburn added 16 and 14 boards and the Royals won a game that epitomized the phrase “survive and advance” and may serve them well as they move forward in the tournament.

Cardinal Hayes 82 Bishop Loughlin 71 Following their shooting struggles in the New York Archdiocesan tournament the defending champs found their shooting rhythm and got off to a quick start against a talented but young Loughlin team that was facing the rigors of playoff pressure for the first time. The Cardinal’s trio of battled-tested perimeter stars, seniors Tyrese Williams and Jontai Williams along with junior Joe Toussaint came out firing. Toussaint and Williams connected on five 3-point tries in the game’s opening moments and Hayes seized control early. They never relinquished it even as the young Lions from Brooklyn began to find their sea legs with the help of a pair of talented juniors, forward Julian Champangie and guard William Lee. Terry Dawkins, the undersized but ultra-competitive inside forward who compliments Hayes’ perimeter was strong and steady as always finishing with 14 points and 10 boards. Toussaint paced a balanced Hayes effort with 25 points while Champangie led the Lions with 15 and 14 boards to lead the Lions.

Molloy 68 Iona Prep 61 Foul problems on both sides played a huge part in the machinations of this game but ultimately it was the terrific talent on both sides that made for a tremendous game and would ultimately decide the outcome. After an even first period Iona’s versatile forward Souleymane Kourreissi picked up his 3^rd personal foul early in the second quarter and that opened things up for Molloy. Moses Brown and Cole Anthony’s efforts were augmented by sophomore guard Deonte Benejan who chipped in with 7 first half points. The Stanners efforts combined with the decision to keep Koureissi out helped Molloy to a 36-25 advantage at the half. 

     With Koureissi back on the floor Iona quickly sliced the deficit to three points only to see the Stanners regain their footing thanks to Anthony and Brown. Then Koureissi led another rally to close the period with two great slashing drives; one for a basket and the other for a kick out pass to Romar Reid who drained a jumper for three of his 19 points.

   Leading by 4 as the last quarter began Molloy traded baskets with Iona and had increased the margin to 7 when. With 2:31 left, Anthony fouled out which meant with the game Molloy would have to secure a playoff win without their most reliable ball handler, who just happens to be the best point guard in his class. Two free throws and a basket by Iona quickly sliced the Stanners’ margin to 3 points. But then Khalid Moore sliced through the lane for a basket and then another sophomore Elijah Blackman recovered his own deflected pass and drove in for another layup. Moore’s clutch free throws put the game on ice for Molloy despite two late threes by Iona’s Josh Alexander. Anthony led the Stanners with 21 points and 9 boards while Brown added 14 points. For Iona in addition to Reid’s terrific game Bryce had 13 points while Koureissi added 10 and 5 boards.

Stepinac 83 St. Raymond’s 68 Stepinac has the most well-balanced offense in the tournament and they were eventually able to flex those muscles for a double-digit win. The Ravens gave the Crusaders a difficult test thanks primarily to the efforts of Omar Silverio who scored 18 of his game high 29 points in the first two quarters.  The most exciting play came towards the end of the half on a well-earned “heat check” shot after he picked off an errant Stepinac pass. He then drained a shot from at least 25 feet away. Give him credit the shot and follow through were absolutely perfect. The Ravens entered halftime trailing by just 33-31 thanks to a late flurry by Stepinac’s senior leader Alan Griffin. Their balance ultimately allowed them to push the lead to 7 points after three quarters and get the final margin with a strong final period. Griffin led the scoring with 22 points while getting 6 assists and 4 steals. Sophomore R.J. Davis added 21, while super-frosh Adrian Griffin Jr added 14. Stepinac’s improving 6’9” center Joel Soriano added 14 points and 16 rebounds in what could be a significant portent of things to come as the Crusaders face Molloy with Moses Brown and Molloy in the semi-finals on Wednesday. His ability to contest for rebounds and provide scoring could be a difference maker for the Crusaders against the Stanners.