By Marc Raimondi
The Christ the King girls' basketball team had seen a game like this before. The Royals led for most of the first half before letting their opponents go on a run to cut it close. But this time things were different. CK never let Bishop Ford take a lead, like Molloy did last month in what would turn into the Royals' first league loss in eight years.
“We held the momentum,” Christ the King coach Bob Mackey said. “That's a big difference.”
And it's the biggest reason why the Royals are going to the CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens Division I championship game Sunday. Top-seeded CK stopped No. 4 Ford's run after the Falcons cut the lead to only four and pulled away late in a 65-50 win Thursday in the semifinals at St. Francis Prep.
Freshman Bria Smith had 24 points, junior Geleisa George had 13 points and junior Tahira Johnson added 12 for Christ the King. Four of Johnson's points came in the fourth quarter, where she was aggressive on the boards and got to the line twice. It was an important spurt for her – she's still trying to get her rhythm back from a bad knee sprain suffered in a win against Molloy in January.
“That was a good stretch,” Smith said.
Smith had a good first playoff game, overall, though Mackey said she made her share of mistakes. She kept the Royals in the game in the third quarter, where she had 12 points. It was a far cry from the first few minutes of the game. Smith missed her first four shots and admitted to being too hyped up.
She and Nia Oden are the first Christ the King freshmen to compete in the varsity playoffs since Clare Droesch in 1998.
“It was intense,” she said. “You can't stop for one second.”
Ford cut the lead to four in the third quarter three times and twice Smith answered with points. Northeastern-bound senior guard Jamie Conroy led the Falcons with 15 points and did a fine job bottling up Christ the King senior point guard Jael Pena. Ford was without senior forward Arielle Martinez, who was ineligible to play because she left school illegally during lunchtime.
“I think it would have been a little tougher if they had her,” Johnson said.
But the Royals took the Falcons' best punch and came right back. They have a chance to win their 25th straight Brooklyn/Queens Diocesan title Sunday at St. John's Prep, when they play Molloy, who beat Mary Louis in the other semifinal Thursday. Tip-off for the final is set for 6 p.m.
This is the final the Christ the King players wanted – “badly,” Johnson and Smith admitted. They want to avenge their first league loss since 2000. Unlike most teams, who vow to take one game at a time, the Royals definitely have their sights set on the future. They want to return to the New York State Federation after missing it for the first time in 17 seasons last year. But to do that, CK will need to knock off Molloy, then beat nationally ranked St. Michael Academy or the Long Island winner in the CHSAA state championship.
“We don't wanna lose another game,” Johnson said. “[The state Federation] is just a Christ the King tradition.”
Reach Associate Sports Editor Marc Raimondi by e-mail at mraimondi@timesledger.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 130.
