By Joseph Staszewski
Christ the King lost its composure along with an important basketball game at Bishop Loughlin.
The Royals saw senior center Adonis Delarosa ejected for a flagrant foul in the third quarter of an eventual 76-74 loss to the rival Lions in Fort Greene last Friday.
The game, which was physical and choppy on both sides, was a battle for first place in the CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens Class AA division and a rematch of last year’s city final won by CK.
The 6-foot-11 Delarosa was ejected after he clothes-lined Loughlin star guard Mike Williams, who was racing toward the hoop attempting to dunk the ball on him with one-hand.
Williams did not return and went to the hospital. He received two staples to close the cut in the back of his head. He does not have a concussion and will be out three to five days, according to Loughlin Coach Ed Gonzalez.
Delarosa will be suspended for two games by league rules, but will be back for the meeting between the two teams meet in Middle Village Feb. 9. Royals Coach Joe Arbitello wasn’t happy with how his team handled itself in the heated contest.
“It was out of control,” Arbitello said. “We were at fault as much as they were at fault. I told my guys and we huddled up there, next guy to say a word will sit on the bench for the rest of the game, next guy to talk to somebody, push somebody, do anything like that is done. And the play with Adonis was just ridiculous.”
The contest was marred by shenanigans that started when the teams traded barbs with each other while crossing paths coming back from the layup lines. Midway through the second quarter Christ the King’s Travis Atson pushed Loughlin’s Keith Williams after getting his shot blocked. Lions teammate Issak Bodon then shoved Atson in retaliation, resulting in double technical fouls.
“Emotions were high,” Loughlin’s Javian Delacruz said.
Things escalated from there. The Rutgers-bound Williams got free along the left side with Loughlin up 48-44 with 4:31 left in the third quarter and Delarosa sent him spiraling to the floor hard. Delarosa was then pushed in the back of the head by a fan who rushed onto the court. Another attempted to land a punch, but was stopped and escorted out by school officials.
Cooler heads eventually prevailed. CK hung in, but struggled without Delarosa.
Seton Hall-bound guard Khadeen Carrington attacked the basket for Loughlin and Delacruz buried a three-pointer to give Loughlin a 62-53 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The Lions (17–3) twice held a 10-point lead in the fourth, but Arbitello thought his team wasn’t playing less aggressively after the ejection.
“We lost a 6-11 guy that makes us a little bit more physical,” Arbitello said. “That’s what we lost.”
The Royals (16–4) pulled within 74–72 with 44.2 seconds left on a three-pointer by Rawle Alkins. A Loughlin turnover gave CK the ball back with 17 ticks left, but Darius James forced Andre Walker out of bounds as he tried to control an inbound pass along the sideline.
“It’s a tough loss for us,” Alkins said. “We had the chance to win. We had the game in the bag. We had a beautiful play drawn and we couldn’t get it in bounds.
Carrington, who scored the 2,000th point of his career, scored 24 points, Delacruz had 15 and Williams finished with 14. Bodon chipped in 10. Alkins led Christ the King with 23 points, Atson has 17 and Andre Walker added 15.
Alkins said Loughlin should enjoy this victory, its first over CK in its last seven tries. That’s because he doesn’t see the same result when the Lions come to Middle Village.
“They can cherish the moment right now,” Alkins said. “But when we see them again, it’s going to be a different story.”
