New Kings of Queens

Blaise Ffrench usually does not get the chance to shoot around the day of a game because of school. But with an off day from classes, he managed to get into the Holy Cross gym with teammates Sylven Landesberg and Shameel Carty the morning of the Knights’ biggest game of the season.
Holy Cross Coach Paul Gilvary may want to make it a habit.
His junior point guard scored 27 points, including the Knights’ first 11 of the third quarter, en route to an 80-69 victory over Christ the King at Bishop Ford High School Friday night, the Flushing school’s first Brooklyn-Queens Diocesan title since 1978.
“The basket seemed real big,” Ffrench said, “and I couldn’t miss.”
With the upset, Holy Cross earned one of the top seeds for the upcoming intersectional playoffs. They will meet Monsignor Farrell in the quarterfinals Friday night at Christ the King.
“It’s nice, because we don’t get this chance very often,” Gilvary said. “It’s something I’ll remember and these kids will remember for a long time.”
With CK (21-5) swarming Landesberg, the CHSAA Player of the Year and leading scorer, nearly every time he touched the ball, it left openings, particularly for Ffrench and Kayvon Roberts. The junior duo torched the Royals after halftime. Roberts, a 6-foot-4 swingman, tallied 22 points and Carty added nine.
“Everybody was concentrating on Sylven,” Roberts said, “so that opened up shots for me.”
Last year, Landesberg, who also led the league in scoring as a sophomore, would often try to do much. But he matured this season to the point where he completely trusts his teammates.
That growth paid off in the form of a title. Although he managed just 15 points, 12 below his season average of 27, Landesberg still controlled the game by dishing out six assists and grabbing nine rebounds.
“He’s gotten much better at that,” Gilvary said of finding the open man. “He can do so many things to help us win a game.”
Ryan Pearson led the Royals, who’ve lost three of their last four, with 27 points and Erving Walker, the Florida-bound junior, added 17.
The victory held extra meaning for the three high-scoring Knights. Two years ago, they lost to CK in the freshman city championship, and again in the BQ title game last February, although only Landesberg figured prominently in that decision.
“I always had that feeling we could beat them,” said Roberts, who made 10 of 15 shots from the field.
They snapped the skid in their league opener this past January at Holy Cross, thanks to Roberts’ third-quarter explosion and despite losing by three in the second meeting, they entered this contest ready.
“All of us had confidence,” Ffrench said, “We could do it.”