By Joseph Staszewski
St. Francis Prep wasn’t short on motivation and didn’t waste any of it.
The Terriers’ league finale against rival Holy Cross was also Senior Night at the Fresh Meadows school, and head Coach Tim Leary was honored in a pregame ceremony for reaching the 600-win plateau. Add to that the fact that the Knights beat SFP in the first Battle of the Boulevard.
“This was a must-win game,” senior guard Michael Fields said.
He and his team delivered. St. Francis Prep topped Holy Cross 74-61 in CHSAA Class A boys’ basketball last Friday night. Fields, Shane Herrity and Brian Haggerty each scored 15 points and Jordan Santiago added 14. The players knew it was too big of a night for them and Leary to let it end with defeat.
“This whole celebration would have meant nothing if we didn’t win that one for him,” said Herrity, who was suspended when the teams first met.
The victory snaps a four-game losing streak, including a 62-54 defeat to unbeaten Cardinal Hayes. It was the seniors’ first win over the Knights (10-11, 8-7) at the varsity level and gives the Terriers (14-9, 9-7) momentum heading into a rematch with Cross in the diocesan playoffs Feb. 17 at Xaverian.
“When we put it all together with five guys and keep them on the court, we can compete as long as we rebound,” Leary said.
That is exactly what they needed to do to turn the tide in this game. SFP finally kept Knights center Marshall Louis (10 points) off the boards late in the opening frame. It helped spark a 15-2 run over the first and second quarters capped by a Haggerty three-pointer that put the Terriers up 25-18 with 5:25 left before halftime.
St. Francis Prep led by as much as 46-32 in the third quarter. Holy Cross rallied behind stars Jermaine Bishop (18 points) and Joshua Wallace (10 points). Christian Wilson added 12.
Bishop hit consecutive three-pointers late in the third and his two free throws got Cross as close as 57-50 with 6:35 remaining in the game. Knights Coach Tom Marchesini said his team relies too heavily on Bishop and Wallace. Holy Cross played its best basketball in January and Marchesini believes sharing the ball was key to that success.
“It’s all about ball movement,” he said. “When we move the ball, we are a different team.”
