Junior guard Nick
Folk hit a driving bank shot with 16.5 seconds left. He was fouled on the play and the subsequent
free throw gave Xaverian the lead for good and they survived a hard-fought
battle and earned a tough 63-59 win over Bishop Loughlin in Bay Ridge
yesterday.
The first half of
the Sunday clash nearly mirrored Xaverian’s tough loss to Iona Prep on Friday. Just as they had against the Gaels they used
hot outside shooting to sprint out of the gate. Billy Reyes who finished with a
game high 23 points, connected on three triples and a long 2 as the Clippers
put a 12 spot on the board before Loughlin broke the ice. Combined with some
good early work from senior center Eli Hardison, they had a 21-4 lead after the
first 8 minutes.
The Clippers did
not handle the early prosperity well, and the Lions took advantage behind their
two terrific senior guards Taj Childs and Maurice Doby. They moved the ball
smartly and when they weren’t scoring themselves they were setting up teammates
for easy hoops. The Lions outscored the Clippers 20-6 and were it not for a
late triple by soph Miles Supreme the Clippers may have squandered the entire
first quarter lead. Instead they held a 27-23 margin as the 2nd half
began.
On Friday Iona
Prep was able to pull away quickly but Sunday the Clippers responded with
clutch play. Shawn Fulcher scored 7 of his 10 points for the game in the third
quarter; including one of his two treys for the game and two pull up mid-range
shots. He closed the period with a tough contested jumper and gave his team a 44-39
going into the final stanza.
Fulcher’s good work
helping the Clippers regain some traction set the stage for an ultra-competitive
last 8 minutes. The Lions did a terrific job playing with poise on the road.
They tied the game at 47 with under a minute to go and took the lead in the
closing moments prior to Folk’s winning basket. The drive and finish was a
surprising ending in part because it came during an uncharacteristically quiet game
for one of the city’s best marksmen. He was held scoreless in the first half
and Loughlin did a terrific job contesting every look he had. In a scramble
situation where the ball appeared to be deflected to him, he calmly drove and
made a tough shot through contact; and in doing so helped the Clippers avoid a second
upset at home. The Clippers got a badly needed early season win while the
Lions, who many figured to be in a rebuilding season following heavy graduation
losses, let the rest of the league know that teams that don’t bring a great
effort against them will be in for a surprise. The parity in the CHSAA “AA”
division will make for great competition and great basketball this season.
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