CTK makes it look easy

Archbishop Molloy’s strategy against Christ the King was simple: Stop Ryan Pearson and Erving Walker, the Royals’ Division I-bound leading scorers.
The Stanners swarmed those two, inviting anyone else to shoot. For a while, the plan worked. Molloy raced out to an early 18-13 lead.
Unfortunately, CK’s lesser players found the range, and eventually Pearson could not be stopped either, no matter how many double teams were thrown at him.
Spearheaded by a 23-3 first-half run, the Royals rolled past the Stanners, 99-61. Pearson, a 6-foot-5 George Mason recruit, led the charge with 25 points. Walker (Florida) followed with 21, backup guard Marion Smith added 10 and senior Joe Nuss had seven.
Smith, filling in for fellow junior Sean Johnson (nursing a cold), was instrumental in breaking down the Stanners’ ambitious game plan. He scored eight first quarter points and played Molloy’s talented junior guard Russ Smith tough, forcing him into off-balance jumpers and awkward runners.
“They pretty much showed maturity and showed leadership,” Russ Smith said. “We’re a little overmatched right now. Hopefully towards the end of the season, things get better.”
The evening belonged to Pearson. He put up 17 points in the first half and dominated Molloy’s sophomore 6-foot-7 center Ashton Pankey, swatting his shots twice, and grabbing 10 rebounds. He is averaging 26 points per game, hitting 3-pointers (he knocked down four of them), finishing in the paint and scoring with his back to the basket.
“I never expected this,” CK Coach Bob Oliva said. “He probably thinks he can walk on water. He might [be able to].”
Rutgers Coach Fred Hill is one of several prominent Division I coaches that are kicking themselves for not noticing. After his latest performance, Hill, in attendance, told the Far Rockaway native: “I wish you weren’t signed.”
Pearson does not regret his decision. Actually, he was going to be a mid-major kid all along. “I was going with a school that’s always been with me from the start,” he said. “Sometimes I think twice, but then I think George Mason is a great fit for me. I put it in the back of my mind. I say [to 11th-hour recruiters], ‘you lost your chance. You shouldn’t have waited.’ ”
Pearson did not join the varsity until halfway through his sophomore year. He was an integral cog for Oliva last winter, but not the star-studded swingman he has become.
He was a piece of the puzzle last year, overshadowed by seniors Malik Boothe (St. John’s) and Andrew Gabriel (Manhattan). With those two moving on to college, Pearson was asked, along with Walker, to grab the spotlight. He has more than accepted the role for the 9-2 Royals.
“I knew I could be the main man,” he said. “I had to wait my turn. I waited patiently. Now I’m just blooming.”