The new Kings of Queens

Campus Magnet shocks Cardozo; wins first Queens title since 1990
BY ZACHARY BRAZILLER
Before this season began, Campus Magnet Coach Charles Granby approached his starting five, all of whom were considering a change in schools. In unison, the quintet eased their coach’s mind - they were all staying with an eye on winning a Queens championship. “We all made a commitment we were going to stay at our school,” junior center Keith McAllister said.
That commitment paid off Saturday afternoon, as the second-seeded Bulldogs shocked No. 1 Cardozo, 80-72, at Hunter College, in the finals of the PSAL Queens Borough Championship, their first borough title since 1990. “It means we’re all men of our words - we came through,” said the senior point guard Patrick Bordeau, who led Campus Magnet with 20 points and 10 assists. “We felt coach Granby deserved it. It was time we took another Queens championship back home.”
When Evan Thomas, the Bulldogs’ leading scorer last season, tore ligaments in his right ankle in the middle of December, Bordeau became Campus Magnet’s lead guard. He thrived in that role, averaging 11 points and four assists in leading the Bulldogs to a share of the Queens III-A division title with Springfield Gardens. So when Thomas, who returned for the borough playoffs, fouled out midway through the fourth quarter, Bordeau found himself in familiar territory. “I told him, ‘you got to bring us home,’ ” Granby recalled.
As he did the last two months, the 6-foot-2 Bordeau answered the challenge, adeptly handling the Judges’ pressure defense, and knocking down 12 of 14 free throws down the stretch. “After practice every day we shoot 50 free throws,” he said. “It just felt like practice; concentrate on the hoop and follow through.”
The Bulldogs came out firing from the opening tip, racing out to a 16-3 lead. They ate up the Cardozo press, going over the top for lay-ups and slam dunks. But a 17-8 Cardozo run to close the first half, capped by five straight points from the impressive 6-foot-8 sophomore James Southerland, cut the Bulldogs lead to two, 40-38.
However, unlike a season ago when the Judges broke open a tight game after halftime in the borough finals, Campus Magnet held firm, punishing Cardozo in the paint behind the duo of Earl Anglin and the 6-foot-8 wide body McAllister (15 rebounds), who each finished with 18 points. “They decided to step it up today,” Granby said. “They helped us a great deal.”
Cardozo came within two, 65-63, when senior Sean Crawford canned a pair of free throws with less than four minutes remaining. But McAllister beat Southerland to a Josiah Peay miss, tipping it home. He later added a hoop inside when Cardozo had cut the lead to a point with a minute left. Cardozo’s Mike Troll and Wes Frederique each misfired on potential game-tying treys down the stretch and Bordeau iced the game from the line.
“I’m happy, because everybody talks about them being the best team in Queens,” Thomas said. “Now we’re the best in Queens.”
Indeed, they are. The Bulldogs (22-3) spread out Cardozo in their half-court sets, allowing their primary ball-handlers - Bordeau, Thomas and Peay (12 points, all in the first half) - room to maneuver. The trio effortlessly drove past Cardozo defenders, getting into the lane and setting up easy hoops.
“They didn’t hit an outside shot, everything was a lay-up,” said Cardozo Coach Ron Naclerio, who lamented his team’s inexperience afterward. “We have a whole new team and it’s showing.” Southerland led the Judges (20-5) with 19 points, Crawford added 18 and Edmund McRae and Troll chipped in with 11 apiece.