By Mitch Abramson
Last year the nationally ranked programs participated in two instant classics. Somehow they delivered again, writing a new chapter in this extraordinary rivalry and bestowing the title of hero to someone new.One of the smallest players on the floor, Christ the King's 5-foot-8 Malik Boothe came up with the biggest plays of the game, scoring the winning basket and getting two steals down the stretch to preserve a 50-47 win at Gaucho Gym in the Bronx.The sight of Boothe casting an enormous shadow over Rice's talented but troubled team was inspiring. He suffocated Louisville-bound Edgar Sosa, a 6-foot-3 point guard, limiting him to five points on 2-of-8 shooting and all but rendered him useless in the fourth quarter when Sosa sat on the bench in the final three minutes, only taking the floor with 17 seconds left.For a player who contributed 11 points, two assists, three rebounds and two steals, Boothe chose his spots wisely.”I'll do whatever it takes to help my team win,” he said. “I was just trying to limit his touches. He's a great player, but I could tell he was getting frustrated. He wasn't getting the ball as much as he would have liked. I take pride in playing defense. I don't like people saying that they scored 25 points on us.”Christ the King (14-1, 6-0) trailed 47-46 with 28 seconds remaining when Boothe stripped Rice's Kemba Walker and sprinted down the court for a layup to give his team a 48-47 lead. Boothe was fouled on the play, but he missed the free throw and Rice (6-5, 2-2) called a timeout with 17 seconds left.The ball was fed to Curtis Kelly (14 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks), Rice's 6-foot-9 UConn-bound senior, but he never got it because Christ the King's Rob Hampton (14 points and six rebounds) and Boothe knocked it away, getting into a tug of war with the Raiders Chris Fouch over the ball. A jump ball was called and the Royals got possession.Boothe later hit two free throws after he was fouled to clinch the win. “It's a good rivalry,” Rice's coach Maurice Hicks said. “You can expect whenever Christ the King and Rice play it will be a good game. But it [always] comes down to the end of the game, and they beat us to a couple of loose balls down the stretch.”Reach reporter Mitch Abramson by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 130.
