By Marc Raimondi
Argelix Gil and Ka Von McDonald didn't spend too much time on the hardwood this fall. They were too busy on the gridiron.
Gil and McDonald, both juniors, were the Franklin K. Lane football team's star quarterback and running back, respectively. They led the Knights to the playoffs in only their second varsity season since 1988.
It hasn't made them any worse for wear during basketball season, that's for sure. The Lane boys' basketball team, with Gil and McDonald its leading scorers, upset first-place Newtown, 64-56, on Wednesday afternoon in Elmhurst to secure its first PSAL Class A playoff berth since 2004.
“It's helped me a lot,” Gil said of his football success. “This year it's bringing a lot of confidence out in me.”
The 6-foot-4 swingman led Lane (8-3 Queens A East) with 17 points and McDonald had 15 before fouling out late. Senior Chris Bolton added 12 points. The Knights led by as much as 38-20 with 5:12 left in the third quarter, but the Pioneers came roaring back, beginning with a personal 8-0 run by Isiah Lee (15 points).
Using a tough fullcourt press on its tiny court, Newtown (9-2) got as close as 56-54 on a Lee free throw with 1:53 left, but Lane made most of its foul shots late and hung on.
“I lost a lot of hair during that game,” Knights coach Pete Banta joked. “We kind of just saved it at the end.”
Lane is riding a seven-game winning streak. The Knights have won four league games in a row (they lost to Newtown earlier in the season at home) and took home the Malverne Classic tournament title over the holidays. Banta, who played basketball at Queens College, set the goal for a .500 season before the year. That has certainly changed.
“Now our goals are a little higher,” he said. “No one thinks of Lane as a basketball school. We might be able to sneak up on some people.”
The Knights didn't sneak up on Newtown, but Gil was admittedly “not intimidated” by the school's vaunted small gym and loud acoustics. That doesn't mean the victory didn't excite him and his teammates, though.
“I can't even describe it,” McDonald said. “Coming here since JV, we've lost here.”
Newtown is traditionally strong at home and this was its first league loss in Elmhurst. But the Pioneers have hit a rough patch in a good season. They've lost three straight, falling to Hillcrest on Friday and New Dorp in the PSAL 'A' Winter Classic on Sunday.
All three losses were to solid teams, but Newtown coach Pat Torney is not satisfied, particularly with his team's defense and frontcourt play. Lee and fellow guard David Joseph (23 points) did almost everything. Joseph scored 16 of the Pioneers' first 20 points.
“He was really the only one creating anything,” Torney said of Joseph, a junior. “[The frontcourt players] have lost their confidence…I think we've forgotten what we need to do to be successful.”
Reach Associate Sports Editor Marc Raimondi by e-mail at mraimondi@timesledger.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 130.
