CHRIST THE KING BOYS BASKETBALL-Little big man makes difference

Although Malik Boothe doesn’t score many points, his contributions are priceless.
He continued to be an important asset for Christ the King Friday evening, shutting down the Louisville-bound guard Edgar Sosa, as the Royals topped rival Rice, 50-47, at the Gauchos gym in the Bronx.
Boothe, who had six points, two assists and two steals, and forced Sosa into more turnovers (six), than points (five), delivered the go-ahead basket off a steal with 28 seconds remaining. He knocked down a pair of free throws for the final margin.
“He made the big plays,” said Christ the King (15-1, 7-0 CHSAA AA West) Coach Bob Oliva, who put his junior guard up there with the top three defenders he’s ever coached, including Will Poole, now a defensive back with the Miami Dolphins. “He’s a tremendous, tremendous defensive player. He frustrated Sosa, but he’s been doing this to players better than Sosa all year.”
At just 5-foot-8, Boothe is not the typical shutdown defender. But his strength, quickness and agility enabled him to limit Sosa, who uncharacteristically sat the final four minutes before entering the game for the Raiders’ final possession.
“Edgar pressed a little bit; he didn’t let the game come to him,” Rice Coach Mo Hicks said. “Malik did a good job.”
With the Royals’ shooters - specifically Larry Davis and Erving Walker who combined for only 19 points - off the mark, they had to rely on their stingy defense, which bailed them out.
While Boothe was hounding Sosa, Christ the King’s undersized big men Andrew Gabriel and Rob Hampton pestered the 6-foot-9 Kelly, who will attend Connecticut this fall, into just 14 points (two in the fourth quarter). It was the 6-foot-3 Hampton, who scored a team-high 14 points and grabbed six rebounds, that deserves much of the kudos.
With Gabriel in foul trouble, Hampton successfully fronted Kelly, making the game-saving play on the Raiders (7-5, 2-2 CHSAA AA West) final possession when he tipped away an entry pass to Kelly then tied up Chris Fouch. On the Raiders’ previous trip, Boothe stripped Kemba Walker, and then went coast to coast for the go ahead lay-up.
“I just take pride in my defense,” Boothe said. “I want my team to win a city championship. I don’t expect anything less.”