Xaverian Holds off Young Terriers for 3rd Straight League win 64-51

     Strong first and third quarters which helped Xaverian build an early working margin helped them stave off a young and talented St. Francis Prep squad 64-51 in Bay Ridge last night.  The win marked the third straight in league play and the sixth straight overall for the Clippers and followed a pattern which they have demonstrated throughout this season.

    Led by their terrific perimeter trio of junior guards Shaun Fulcher and Nick Folk as well as senior guard Billy Reyes, Xaverian sprinted to a 21-10 lead. The ball movement was sharp and Reyes stroked a pair of long triples before changing things up by driving to the basket for a deuce.  Shaun Fulcher, who is just beginning to find his form after missing time with a hand injury had a triple of his own while Folk, who struggled with his normally reliable shot before hitting a game winner vs.         Loughlin on December 15^th was back to his old reliable self. 

    In the second quarter St. Francis began to find the range. Improving 6’3” junior Todd Rochelle and 6’3” sophomore Latiek Briscoe helped St. Francis slice the margin to 32-27 at the half. Briscoe showed a complete scoring arsenal for such a young player; rising up and shooting the ball from deep and from middle distance, and making plays at the rim showing great explosiveness for such a young player.

   The third quarter saw Xaverian pull away again. Using strong outside shooting and good work protecting the rim from Elijah Hardison the Clippers opened a 21-point margin in the third stanza.  Fulcher, who had a strong game from start to finish, was particularly good as a playmaker in that quarter; setting up plays for Folk and Reyes that required not only his speed and passing ability but good patience and, for lack of a better word, feel for when to pull the trigger on a play. And while there would be some uncharacteristic sloppiness from the Clippers that would help the Terriers close the gap again in the final period, they no doubt hope that those moments diminish as Fulcher, their point guard and leader rounds into shape.

            St. Francis would trim the lead to six on a rally capped when they ran Briscoe off a baseline screen and he drained a left corner triple. Xaverian made just enough plays and just enough free throws to win a game that was much closer and well contested than the final margin indicated. Xaverian continues to round into form while the young St. Francis Prep team continues to grow with experience and could prove to be a tough out down the stretch and in the playoffs. Reyes led the Clippers with 18 points while Folk added 17 and Fulcher 15. For St. Francis Briscoe tied for game high honors with 18 points while Rochelle added 12.