By Anthony Bosco
With Sunday’s 91-86 overtime win over the Archbishop Molloy Stanners, the St. Francis Prep boys’ basketball team may have finally gotten over the hump the team has struggled to traverse all season.
While the Terriers have been near unbeatable in non-league games — improving to 4-6 in league play and 14-7 overall Sunday — the team has had trouble knocking off the elite teams in the Catholic High School Athletic Association. Knocking off Molloy was a step in the right direction.
“We haven’t really lost to anybody outside the league,” said St. Francis Prep head coach Tim Leary. “The league is tough. We’ve been in every game. We’re right there. Maybe we finally took the step to win some of these games.
“We’re thin in terms of depth and size, but we’re playing everybody tough.”
Behind yet another standout performance by junior guard Bryan Geffen, St. Francis Prep controlled much of the action in the league affair, leading 16-12 after one, before Molloy pulled even at the half, 34-34.
St. Francis Prep took an eight-point lead into the final period, but with some sharp-shooting by Stanners’ guards Sundiata Gaines and John Miller, Molloy managed to close the gap and tie the game at 74-all, forcing overtime.
Prep poured in 17 points in the extra session, outdueling the Stanners on their own gym floor.
Geffen finished with a game-high 34 points, while Ian Rogers added 14 and Brian Fink scored 13.
“Any league win is a big win,” Leary said. “To beat Molloy at Molloy is big. We missed a couple of opportunities to win it [in regulation], but we hung in there. It helps us for the playoffs.”
The one negative to come out of the game was a badly sprained ankle suffered by junior forward Andrew Cashin, who will likely miss two of the Terriers’ three remaining league games.
Leary said Cashin will probably return in time for the team’s league finale against cross-town rival Holy Cross, rescheduled for Sunday at 3:30 p.m. The two clubs were supposed to play Friday night, but the game was canceled due to inclement weather.
After facing St. Raymond’s Tuesday, Prep will take on Monsignor McClancy Friday night
Rice 94, St. Francis Prep 84. The Terriers hung tight with Rice but came up short in the end, despite 28 points by Geffen and 17 from Fink.
Christ the King 76, Christian Brothers Academy 51. Mitchell Beauford poured in 24 points to lead the Royals over Syracuse’s CBA Sunday in the Prime Time Shootout. Chris Martin added 13, Brian Willams 12 and Japhet McNeil chimed in with a double-double, scoring 10 points with 10 assists. CK improved to 16-4 overall with the non-league win. The Royals are 7-2 in league play.
St. Raymond’s 74, Holy Cross 64. The Knights were led by Michael Johnson with 19, Ramone Modesto added 14 and Nick Rollins chipped in 13. The loss dropped Cross to 11-10 overall and 3-7 in the league.
Reach Sports Editor Anthony Bosco by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 1-718-229-0300, Ext. 130.
