By Joseph Staszewski
Rawle Aklins completed his domination of the fourth quarter and walked over to Christ the King coach Joe Arbitello in the final seconds. The Royals junior star put his hands on Arbitello’s shoulders and smiled from ear to ear and simply told his coach just how much he wanted to win after ensuring a diocesan title.
“Brooklyn/Queens, people don’t really talk about it, but it’s still a championship to me,” Alkins said. “It’s still a game. I don’t like losing.”
Alkins lived up to his billing as New York City’s best boys’ basketball player when his team needed him most. With CK down six in the fourth, he scored eight straight points and blocked two shots. It sparked top-seeded Christ the King’s decisive run in an eventual 66-59 victory over Xaverian in the CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens final in Middle Village last Friday night. Alkins scored 27 points and hit six three-pointers despite early foul trouble.
“He played like an MVP on both sides of the floor,” Arbitello said.
Second-seeded Xaverian went on a 7-0 run capped by a Doyin Isaac 3-pointer to grab a 56-50 lead with 6:52 to go in the game. Alkins took it from there.
The Clippers’ game plan was to turn Alkins into a jump shooter and it worked early. He buried consecutive treys to tie the score and added a two-handed follow slam to put the Royals up for good. On the defensive end, Alkins twice blocked 6-foot-7 Clippers forward Najee Larcher. Christ the King closed the game on a 14-3 run.
“I was kidding around with the kids on the bench, ‘We are going to make him a jump shooter,” Xaverian coach Jack Alesi said. “Great game plan. I made him a great jump shooter.”
Winning the diocesan title for the second time in four years meant a lot to the Royals, the two-time defending state Federation Class AA champion. Bishop Loughlin routed them in this game last year. Winning earns them the top seed from the dioceses and a bye in the CHSAA Intersectional quarterfinals March 8.
Arbitello also credited his team’s effort on defense late. CK (22-4) held Xaverian (20-6) to just three points over the final 6:52. Jared Rivers, who scored 16 points, was a big part of that. He and Jose Alvarado shared the duties of making life difficult for Issac (14 points). Alvarado scored 10 points and Tyrone Cohen added eight for CK. Larcher paced Xaverian with 21 points and Sayon Charles chipped in 13.
Christ the King managed just fine with Alkins in foul trouble in the first quarter. The Royals went on a 13-0 run to close. Alvarado capped it with a three-pointer at the buzzed to give CK 25-13 and control of the game Xaverian went up six in the fourth. It was then Alkins turn to pick up his teammates.
“He had to step up tonight,” Rivers said. “We really need him. He’s our MVP. He’s our captain, our leader. He had to come out and show them. We needed him the most in the championship.”
