In a game where
Xaverian got just enough offense, made just enough stops down the stretch, and
got just enough from their bench they earned an important 70-68 road win at
Christ the King Friday night.
For the Clippers
it was their third road win in league play, following wins against two more
Queens rivals Holy Cross and St. Francis Prep. In these wins and a tough 75-70
loss to pre-season league favorite Cardinal Hayes the Clippers, who started the
game with two sophomores and a senior in Michael Graham who missed all of last
year with an ankle injury, showed an ability to play well in close games that’s
typically unexpected from a young club.
The Royals and
Clippers are teams that mirror each other because of their young talent on the
perimeter. For Xaverian sophomore guards Shawn Fulcher and Nick Folk helped the
Clippers forge an early lead. While Folk
made two first quarter treys, Fulcher displayed the poise of a veteran guard
working the pick and roll with senior forward Graham. The impressive part of
those plays by Fulcher was that a guy known for his speed and quickness never
got rushed and instead waited for plays to develop and fed Graham for at least 3
dunks by my unofficial count.
Christ the King’s
own talented back court matched the Clippers.
Sterling Jones did not have as many assists as Fulcher but the sophomore
showed terrific outside shooting ability. His partner, junior Ryan Meyers
continued as he has all season to effectively mix his driving and shooting
ability. After a fine sophomore season
where he took on the role of a spot up shooter, he is beginning to show fans
and college coaches that his game is much more complete and that he is indeed
one of the best in the deep reservoir of New York Area guards. They combined
with Quaran McPherson to help the Royals stay even in a nip and tuck struggle. The
Clippers first quarter margin was 19-14 but behind Meyers and Jones they
rallied to tie the game at 36 at the intermission. And were it not for two free
throws by reserve guard Ian Byrne, who earned them hustling for a loose ball,
the Clippers would have faced a halftime deficit following a quick start.
Byrne’s hustle
play was just one of several key contributions from the Clippers’ bench which
may have provided the difference in the game. Junior wing Billy Reyes provided an
outside shooting compliment to Folk’s good early work that gave the Clippers an
early 3rd quarter advantage before Christ the King rallied to tie it
at 54 as the final stanza began. Byrne
and fellow reserve guard Noah Salcedo gave solid minutes helping the Clippers
navigate foul trouble on the perimeter for Fulcher and senior Isaiah Amazan,
while junior Elijah Hardison, who did not enter the game until the final
quarter, provided defensive plays and toughness after Graham picked up his fourth
foul.
At the end of the
game neither team was perfect as they both struggled shooting from both the
field and the free throw line down the stretch. Xaverian did just enough to grind
out a tough win and both teams showed that they will be in the thick of things
this season. Christ the King will improve not only when super-soph center
Moussa Cisse returns (reportedly in mid-January) but as their young players,
particularly Jones, gain experience. Xaverian’s young team should see similar
growth as their young players, along with inexperienced senior Michael Graham
gain experience. These two teams will likely vie with a talented and veteran
Bishop Loughlin squad for the top spot in the Brooklyn-Queens “AA” division. We’re
not even out of December and a great season is already shaping up.
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