By Anthony Bosco
Time simply ran out on Jack Curran's team. The venerable veteran basketball coach, who has helped guide such players as Kenny Anderson and Kenny Smith in his career, could not overcome the loss of center Wendell Gibson.
Gibson, who punched a window following his team's narrow loss to Christ the King near the end of the regular season, was lost for the season with hand and arm injuries, sending his team into a downward spiral in the process.
“I think if we had played without him before the season we would have been all right,” Curran said. “But he was such a dominant part of the team. Once he went out the whole life came out of the team.”
Case in point was Sunday's 82-73 loss to the Monsignor McClancy Crusaders, a team that struggled during the regular season, finishing with a 2-10 mark, but rallying behind senior Darryl Boykins in recent weeks, including a heart-stopping loss to St. Francis Prep in the Brooklyn/Queens Diocesan Tournament.
McClancy focused on Molloy's perimeter players, which limited Molloy's offense significantly. Though the Stanners got 21 points from Ed O'Neil and 15 from John Sikiric. Sikiric and James Hauser, who finished with three points, shot a combined 6-for-26 Sunday at Manhattan College.
Curran knew what McClancy would try to do, but was unable to find the right combination of players to succeed. He sat 6-foot-6 Din Tolbert in the first half, opting for speed and defense, but the result did not meet Curran's expectations.
“Without Wendell we were searching to find a better mix,” Curran said. “We played 12 guys, we played everybody. That's the first time we ever did that. We still haven't found the right five.
“When [Gibson] went out, they started to play our perimeter shooters closely and we didn't have an efficient inside game,” he added. “It was obvious. They relied on him so heavily. He was kind of an intimidating factor. He could score off anybody. You can go to him all the time when he needed the basket.”
But Sunday Gibson was not there to lift the Stanners.
“Injury is a part of the game,” said McClancy coach Don Kent. “I have a lot of respect for Gibson, but that same Molloy team [without him] defeated St. Anthony of Jersey City. We covered their shooters. We played a smart game. We kept our composure and didn't crack. It was just a great win.”
Running roughshod in the paint, McClancy had little trouble scoring. Boykins finished with 22 points, as did teammate Kevin Bishop. Khari Council added 19 for the Crusaders in the win, the 300th of Kent's career.
The game was not a runaway win for McClancy, however. In the final minutes Molloy had pulled to within four, 77-73, before a quick foul call and some clutch shooting by the Crusaders iced the game.
“We almost pulled it out,” Curran said. “We had a shot at it. We played hard but we really didn't get anything done.”
Before Gibson's injury, Molloy was cruising toward the playoffs with a 15-5 record, eyeing the No. 3 seed in the Diocesan tournament and another shot at either Christ the King or eventual champ Bishop Loughlin. After Gibson was lost, Molloy also lost five of seven games to end the season.
Molloy's loss is McClancy's gain. The revitalized Crusaders will be put to the test in the next round, facing the defending city champion Rice Raiders in the quarterfinals Sunday March 12 at Manhattan College. McClancy's win improves the team's record to an even 13-13.
“Everyone picked us last,” Kent said. “In a 12-team tournament, we were the last team to be picked. We were at rock bottom as far as the seeds were concerned. I think we're playing our best basketball right now.
“We have our work cut out for us, but I believe we can stay with [Rice],” the coach added, pointing to his team's turnaround of a year ago when the team won five games all year. “They're an excellent team. It's a challenge to play a top ranked team like that.”
Curran can now turn his attention toward the coming baseball season, where once again big things are expected from Molloy.
Christ the King 60, St. Peter's 44. The glaring absence of Omar Cook in opening round of the Catholic High School Athletic Association intersectionals did not slow down the Christ the King Royals.
Without their star point guard, who will also miss the quarterfinals for bumping an official in the team's loss to Holy Cross, the Royals still managed to roll past St. Peter's Sunday.
A 16-2 run at the end of the third quarter turned a close game into a blowout for coach Bob Oliva's team. Mike Radziejewski led with 16 points, followed by Robert Barrett with 13 and Zack Williams with 11. The Royals, now 19-7 overall, will face Bishop Loughlin in the quarterfinals this coming Sunday. Loughlin has won both meeting between the two teams this season.
LaSalle 55, Holy Cross 37. The Holy Cross Knights could not follow-up last week's upset win over Christ the King with another in the intersectionals.
Despite 10 points from Chris Fileti, the Knights went cold after a strong first quarter that saw them leading 12-11. Cross managed just 10 points over the second and third quarters en route to a season-ending loss for coach Paul Gilvary's team.
St. John's Prep 72, St. Joseph by the Sea 52. Connecticut-bound Taliek Brown led the Red Storm with 23 points and teammates Omar Malcom and Trevor Bryant added 21 and 18, respectively, as St. John's Prep advanced to the CHSAA Class B semifinals with a win Saturday over St. Joseph by the Sea.
The win sent the Red Storm into Tuesday's game with St. Edmund's –
