By Marc Raimondi
On one hand, Joe Lewinger was pleased. His Mary Louis girls basketball team lost to powerhouse Christ the King 65-57 at home Saturday night in a CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens Division I game after trailing by 21 points at halftime.
“I told [my players], ‘I think you should be commended for your comeback,’” Lewinger said.
But on the other hand, there were reasons why Mary Louis (6-3, 3-1 B/Q), ranked No. 6 in New York City by the Post, was down by that much early to No. 4 Christ the King (7-3, 4-1). And then there was the foul trouble, countless missed layups and horrendous foul shooting that the Hilltoppers had to attempt to overcome.
CK took leads of 13-3 and 24-7 in the first quarter with a devastating fullcourt press and stymieing 2-3 zone. Superstar guard Bria Smith scored 20 of her 25 points in the first half as the Royals lead ballooned to 45-24 at the break.
“They looked absolutely shell-shocked,” Lewinger said of his players.
Added senior forward Avis Benjamin: “[Christ the King] looked like they wanted to beat us badly.”
The Mary Louis Academy did get things together after halftime, but it wasn’t until the fourth quarter when the Hilltoppers made their biggest strides. TMLA went on a 12-0 run, capped by a Karin Robinson basket with 5:23 left in the game, to get within 56-51. Mary Louis went to a trapping defense and it forced turnovers, resulting in easy baskets.
“We strategized a different defense in the second half,” senior guard Christy Calderon said. “They didn’t know what was coming at them.”
Five points would be as close as the Hilltoppers got. Nia Oden stopped their run with a basket and she and Smith had back-to-back buckets to put the Royals back up 63-53 with 1:53 left. Mary Louis, which outscored CK 33-20 in the second half, dug itself too great of a hole. Seventeen missed free throws certainly didn’t help.
“Mary Louis hung in there,” Christ the King Coach Bob Mackey said. “They’re a good team and this is a tough place to play.”
The Hilltoppers lost the game and starting sophomore center Liz Gully, who reinjured her ankle. Lewinger said she felt a pop and looked to be in a lot of pain.
“I wouldn’t expect her back anytime soon,” he said.
Camille Romero led Mary Louis with 13 points and nine rebounds, Calderon and Benjamin each had 11 points and Robinson added 10 points and 10 rebounds. The Hilltoppers met St. Francis Prep Tuesday and had some confidence — depending on how you look at Saturday’s outcome.
“If that doesn’t say we can run with this team,” Lewinger said of the second half, “then I don’t know what does.”
Reach Marc Raimondi at mraimondi@nypost.com.
