It is just two games, but for Christ the King this season is already different.
After losing just their fourth home game since 1991 Saturday, dropping a 59-49 decision to Amsterdam of Upstate New York, they bounced back against Bishop Ford in their league opener, earning a hard-fought 78-66 decision in Brooklyn last Monday evening.
“Any time you lose an opening game of a season you want to bounce back, that goes without saying,” CK Coach Bob Mackey said. “We wanted to come and play well and we met our goals in that regard.”
This was not your average win, though. It was made possible by the call-up of talented guards Bria Smith and Nia Oden from the jayvee, the first freshmen to play varsity at the Middle Village school since Clare Droesch in 1998.
Junior forward Tahira Johnson led the Royals (1-1) with 19 points and 14 rebounds and guard Geleisa George added 18, but Smith’s debut was the story. The high profile 5-foot-10 guard, considered one of the best freshman in the city, scored 15. Senior Jael Pena added 14.
“She’s a very heady kid,” CK Coach Bob Mackey said of Smith. “She plays a lot older than she is.”
Mackey petitioned the school’s Board of Trustees for the addition of Smith and Oden after two players were suspended and another was deemed academically ineligible. “We were down to a limited number of bodies,” Mackey said.
Molloy may have split the weekend as well, but it was a fine two games for the Stanners. They toppled Long Island’s Commack, 53-41, Saturday in the National Recruiting Showcase at Christ the King.
On Monday, they took on Regis Jesuit (Colorado), ranked as high as third in the country by several scouting services. After being walloped in the first half, 48-16, Molloy (2-1) lost by just 14, 65-51, outscoring the Regis, 35-17 over the final 16 minutes. Kerri White led the Stanners with 15 points and Shannon Lavelle added 11.
“I was really happy with their performance in the second half,” Molloy Coach John McGlynn said.
Mary Louis knows all too well about tough competition. The Hilltoppers fell to Regis Jesuit, the Colorado powerhouse, 69-45, last Friday night and were blasted by USA Today’s No. 2 team in the country, Notre Dame Academy of Virginia, 80-49, Sunday. It was a tough couple of days for Louis (1-2), but Coach Joe Lewinger knew their non-league schedule would be grueling.
“Basically, what we took from this is we keep taking steps in the right direction,” he said. “January 7th is the first conference game against Molloy. That’s what we are working for.”
“A win is nice, but you learn from a loss,” junior wing Amanda Burakoski said
