By Dylan Butler
It seemed like Christ the King's distinct size advantage would be negated without the senior center from Manhattan in the lineup and Holy Cross was a +11 on the boards in an even first half. But the Royals still had 6-foot-4 Larry Davis and 6-foot-4 Akeem Gooding, who combined for 34 points in Christ the King's 64-54 win.Gooding led all scorers with 20 points, Davis added 14 and Chris Martin had 10 for Christ the King, a deep and talented team considered alongside Rice to be a favorite to win the city title. Holy Cross, which usually has three players score in double figures, was led by Gordon McKenzie's 13 points – 11 of which came in the first half that ended with a tie at 28.”In the first half we thought we were going to get every board because they were so small,” Davis said. “But they were going after the boards harder than us so we had to crash the boards harder in the second half and that's what we did.”Holy Cross, which seems to be everyone's sleeper pick to win the CHSAA this year, wasn't able to dictate the pace of the game. Instead of running and pressing, the Knights played more of a halfcourt game, which played right into Christ the King's defensive strength.”This year's team is a very good halfcourt defensive team. That's the reason we won (Academy National Invitational Tournament in Houston, Texas) against those nationally ranked teams,” said Christ the King coach Bob Oliva. “We really had to turn up the defense and make sure (Holy Cross) was one and done. That was really hurting us in the first half. They were beating us on the backboards.”Ranked No. 11 in the country by USA Today, Christ the King (10-1, 2-0) took control of the game with an 11-3 run at the end of the third quarter. On Scott's lone 3-pointer of the game, the Royals led 49-39 heading into the fourth quarter.”We need to play at a tremendous pace in order to be successful, especially against a team that's much more physical than us like Christ the King is,” said Holy Cross coach Paul Gilvary. “If we get into a halfcourt game, possession by possession, that's not our strength at all. We need to do a better job of forcing the tempo and creating a little bit more havoc defensively.””It's hard to win games in the 50s,” he added.Christ the King stepped up its defensive intensity in the second half and denied Holy Cross' dribble penetration. Instead the Knights struggled from the perimeter, shooting 16-for-60 from the field. Holy Cross also had its problems from the foul line, missing four straight free throws late in the fourth quarter trailing 55-49.”We didn't play at the tempo we wanted to play at, we played at Christ the King's tempo and that hurt us a lot,” McKenzie said. “They realized I was hot and they did a good job stopping me.”St. Raymond's 83, Holy Cross 77. Chris Bethel scored 24 points, 18 in the first half, and Charles Vasser and Quentin Redfurn scored 13 points apiece to lead St. Raymond's (8-2, 4-0 CHSAA) Tuesday night in the Bronx. Michael Johnson scored a game-high 26 points, Laurence Jolicoeur had 15 and Kevin Ogletree had 14 for the Knights.St. John's Prep 70, Bishop Ford 44. Richard Thomas led St. John's Prep (13-1, 8-1 CHSAA 'A') with 26 points Tuesday.Cathedral Prep 90, Columbia Prep 76. Mike Liander scored a game-high 37 points and Rob Ehreshman added 22 for Cathedral Prep (4-8, 1-3 CHSAA 'B') Monday. Ian Ederly had 14 points for Columbia Prep.St. Francis Prep 74, Molloy 59. Mike Marin had 26 points as St. Francis Prep (8-5, 1-1 CHSAA 'AA') overcame a 12-point third quarter deficit to beat host Molloy Friday night.Cardinal Hayes 73, St. John's Prep 72. James Feldeine had a game-high 30 points, including a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left to force overtime. Chris Davis had 22 points, including a game-winner baseline jumper with 22 seconds left in overtime and Andy Garcia added 18 points for Cardinal Hayes (8-5, 6-1 CHSAA 'A'). Thomas scored 19 points for the Red Storm Friday.McClancy 71, Nazareth 65. Stephen “Sticks” Wood had 32 points to lead McClancy (9-4, 5-2 CHSAA 'A') Friday night.Holy Cross 69, All Hallows 60. gletree had 21 points, Johnson had 14, Jolicoeur had 11 and Anthony Clarke added 10 for Holy Cross Friday. Darryl Crawford scored a game-high 27 points for All Hallows.Regis 55, Cathedral Prep 51. Liander had 23 points for the Crusaders Friday.Reach Sports Editor Dylan Butler by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 143.
