By Dylan Butler
First it was Notre Dame-bound Kyle McAlarney who was locked down by Jean Baptist and on Tuesday the 6-foot-3 senior shut down McClancy star Stephen “Sticks” Wood in the Red Storm's 80-55 rout in what was billed as a battle for first place in the CHSAA A-South division.”He asked me what defense we should start in and I told him man-to-man,” Jean Baptist said of St. John's coach Jimmy Gatto. “I said 'I think I can guard him, in fact I know I can guard him.”Wood, who scored 50 points and shot 8-for-8 from 3-point range against St. John the Baptist earlier this year, was held to just 14 points – 2 in the second half – and looked uncomfortable throughout. After picking up a questionable intentional foul, the 6-foot-3 junior guard fouled out with 2:05 left in the fourth quarter on a technical foul.”Rich is kind of like an unsung hero,” Gatto said. “He does all the little things. He has a big heart, that kid.”Terrance Howard had 18 points and Dexter DeJesus added 12 for McClancy.”Any baskets he got he had to earn,” McClancy coach Don Kent said of Wood. “That's a credit to (Jean Baptist) and that's a credit to their defense.”St. John's Prep (12-0, 7-0) exploded out of the gate in the second half, extending its 5-point halftime lead to 20 at the end of the third quarter. Richard Thomas, another Red Storm player who is now quietly getting his due, had 7 of his game-high 31 points during an 18-5 lead that saw St. John's take a 55-35 lead into the fourth quarter.”I think Richard (Thomas) steps up against big-time players,” Gatto said. “He knew about (Wood) getting 30-points a game and Rich is no mashed potatoes, he can play too.”Led by Thomas, who has drawn interest from West Virginia, Rider, St. Francis (NY) and Siena, four Red Storm players scored in double figures against McClancy, which dropped to 8-4, 4-2 in CHSAA A-South. Point guard Chris Williams had 17 points, Jean Baptist had 14 and Jelani Winfield added 12 for the senior-laden group looking to prove itself after losing in the Class A finals last year by two points. “I have friends who go to other Catholic schools and they heard about our team and how we lost Bryant Dunston so they thought that we were nothing,” Jean Baptist said of the 6-foot-8 freshman at Fordham University. “We just go out there and play has hard as we can.”Christ the King 59, Xaverian 56. Larry Davis scored 13 of his team-high 16 points in the second half, Akeem Gooding had 12 points and Chris Martin and Rob Hampton scored 10 points apiece for Christ the King (9-1), which is ranked No. 11 in the country according to USA Today. Xaverian was led by Pittsburgh-bound Levance Field, who scored a game-high 27 points Tuesday night.Cardozo 78, St. John the Baptist 68. Vic Morris scored 21 points and Wes Frederique had 16 for Cardozo (9-1) in the Hopes Through Hoops Tournament Sunday at Hofstra. Reach Sports Editor Dylan Butler by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 143.
