By Patrick McCormack
Shane Herrity knew he needed to step up in the second half after a tough opening two quarters against Xaverian.
The St. Francis Prep senior guard did just that as he scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half to lead the Terriers to a 59-44 victory over the visiting Clippers in CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens boys’ basketball last Friday night.
“I was a little slow in the first half, wasn’t getting good looks and my shots weren’t falling,” Herrity said. “In the second half, I tried to create more space off the ball. I knew my teammates were going to find me.”
Herrity made his impact right away after the break. Out of the gate he scored six of the Terriers’ first eight points to open up 35-28 advantage. Herrity continued his offensive display by hitting a floater for the last of his eight points in the quarter to put St. Francis Prep (4-4, 1-3) up 39-31 at the end of three.
Terriers coach Tim Leary said leading by example and helping the team is something Herrity does regularly. His role has expanded more with the graduation of Michael Field and senior forward Jordan Santiago choosing to focus on baseball.
“He works hard all the time,” Leary said. “Today, he hit his shots and that’s a plus for us.”
Herrity wasn’t done after the third. He scored the first three points of the fourth to give the Terriers a 42-31 advantage with 5:58 left.
It looked like the Clippers (2-2, 1-2) had a comeback in them after they scored four straight points on a pair of free throws by Doyin Issac (14 points) and a layup by Nyontah Wisseh (eight points) to cut the Terriers’ lead to 42-35. The SFP defense, which took two charges in the second half, held Xavierian in check after that. Defense is something Leary said his team plays well all the time, even when they had to make an adjustment midway through the game.
“The decision to get away from the press slowed them down and they passed the ball around the perimeter,” Leary said.
Along with the ability to defend, the Terrier success at the free throw line allowed them to break the game open in the final minutes to secure the win.
Senior Connor Bacci, who finished with 13 points for the Terriers, scored nine points in the first quarter to help St. Francis Prep jump out to an early 20-13 edge.
The Clippers outscored the Terriers 10-7 in the second quarter, but St. Francis Prep’s defense and seniors leaders were able to score when they needed to and to get a big league win going into the Christmas break after a loss to Bishop Laughlin.
“Any time you win a league game it’s a good performance,” Leary said.
