When Archbishop Molloy and All Hallows tipped off last Sunday at Holy Cross in the opening round of the CHSAA intersectional playoffs, there was one notable absence on the visitors’ sideline.
Jack Curran.
Curran was busy taking his sister, Helen, who has cancer of the pancreas, liver and stomach, to Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
His players were barely there, too. Curran showed up with 6:26 left in the second quarter, his Stanners already trailing by 17 points.
The presence of the legendary coach did not have an immediate impact. Molloy was behind by 12 at halftime and saw their deficit widen to 19 points early in the third quarter.
“We just had no energy,” senior Matt Grogan said. “I don’t think it had anything to do with Coach.”
With Curran, who finishes his 50th season stuck on 898 victories, by their side, the Stanners came charging back, reeling off 14 unanswered points at one point and 16 of 18. They eventually took the lead on an Ashton Pankey basket but lost in overtime, 82-79.
“For us to have to wait until the third quarter to get our energy up cost us the game,” said junior guard Russ Smith, who led Molloy with 24 points. Grogan added 21 and Pankey had 11. Sophomore Devon Collier led All Hallows with 32 points and 20 rebounds.
It was yet another example of the schizophrenic Stanners. There is the good Molloy and the bad one. The energetic, ball-moving and defensive stalwart Stanners. And the ones that seem like strangers, who barely raise an arm to defend a shot, and hoist jumpers soon after they cross half-court.
The Stanners created a 19-point hole against a short-handed club that has just two reserves, the result of an early season fight. They also erased the deficit by sharing the ball and playing team defense.
It was not enough to extend the Stanners’ season, and give Curran win No. 899. All Hallows scored the first five points of the extra session and held on.
At the forefront was Smith. The junior guard runs the point for Curran, but is as prone to throwing the ball away or jacking up an ill-advised shot. He can also shoot the Stanners out of any deficit. He pushed the game into overtime with a 3-pointer in the closing seconds of regulation but also committed several turnovers in the fourth quarter and overtime.
“Russ, as good as he is, gets impatient,” Curran said. “He tries to score too quickly.”
He will not have that problem anymore. And neither will his teammates. Their inconsistent season is finished, with Curran needing two wins - the same amount he had after a 45-41 win over St. Francis Prep on February 8 - to reach 900.
It was a goal many of the Stanners set before the season began. Those who do not graduate like Smith and Pankey will be part of the historic victory early next season.
Curran said he is not going anywhere. “Yeah, as far as I know [I’ll be back],” he said, smiling. “Unless I get fired after this game.”
In the other out-bracket game, St. Francis Prep lost to St. Peter’s of Staten Island, 74-57. Robert Nacer led the Terriers with 15 points.
