Cardozo Edges Christ the King

OAKLAND GARDENS, NY -It was a game for Queens bragging rights as Benjamin Cardozo took on Christ the King in front of a packed house in the Judges gym. This was the first time the CHSAA power had made the trip to take on the Judges on the road, and in front of a crowd primarily full of Cardozo supporters, it was guard Aaron Walker '16 who tipped in the inbounds pass from Rashond Salnave '16 as time expired to see the Judges walk away with a 67-65 win over the Royals.

Having lost on Tuesday to Queens H.S. of Teaching, many for the Cardozo players were down and upset about losing their unblemished mark, but Salnave said that he knew that sometimes a loss was needed to humble a team, and going into playing Christ the King in this marquee matchup, being humbled was just what this group of Judges needed.

They were more focused on accomplishing what they wanted to do, get the win against their Queens rivals, in a matchup that had fans at the edge of their seats from the get go.

Early on, even though Cardozo was in a good frame of mind according to head coach Ron Naclerio, they came out sloppy as they struggled against the pressure of Christ the King, with Jared Rivers '16 connecting on a pair of long range jumpers in the early going, and with Jose Alvarado '17 able to push the ball up the court in transition, the Royals came out strong and grabbing the 15-5 lead after one.

It just seemed as if the Judges needed a spark. Something didn't seem to click in the opening quarter, and at that point Naclerio put Dejavaughn Utley '18 into the game, and immediately things started to change.

Utley scored 7 straight during a 55 second stretch for Cardozo, and eventually a 12 point early second quarter lead for Christ the King was trimmed to a two point game late in the half. Walker went all the way off a turnover to tie the game up at 31, and Cardozo actually had a chance to take the lead going into the half but a three point attempt by Walker that looked to be going in was ruled no good as Utley unfortunately for Cardozo grabbed the rim so the referees ruled the basket no good, which saw the game tied at 31 going into the half.

Immediately out of the locker room Cardozo was able to take its first lead of the game when Utley finished going down the baseline off a feed from Salnave, and that was soon followed by another Utley finish, and Naclerio had to admit that the young sophomore is certainly pushing for more playing time after an outstanding effort not just in this game, but in the two prior games this week as well.

"Day Day had a great game. He really had a coming out party and was huge for us," Naclerio said. "I have got to give him more minutes now going forward."

Without Utley's big 2nd and 3rd quarters, Cardozo may not have been in the position they were going into the 4th as even with Rivers and David Cole '16 scoring the last 4 points of the quarter, the Judges were still going to be taking a 51-46 lead into the 4th.

All was looking good for Cardozo up 5, but there was a storm brewing. Both Salnave and Tareq Coburn '16 were saddled on the Judges bench to start the 4th quarter as both had picked up their 4th fouls late in the 3rd, and with the dynamic duo for Cardozo on the bench, Christ the King took advantage.

First it was a pair of FT's from Tracy Cleckley '16, and then a slash to the rim by Alvarado, and then when Tyrone Cohen '16 was able to convert going to the rim off a steal, the Royals were back in front by 1, and just 2 minutes into the final stanza, Naclerio had to bring back his pair of stars and trust that they wouldn't pick up foul number 5.

The difference was immediate as the Cardozo offense that started the 4th stagnant seemed back on track, and they took the lead quickly back, but for the most part the 4th quarter was a back and forth affair, and you knew that this could end up a game that would come down to the final possession.

That is exactly what happened as well as Christ the King had the ball in a tie game with 9 seconds to go. It was 65 all after Salnave went 1 of 2 from the FT line, and out of a timeout, it was Tyson Walker '18 who had the ball in his hands for CK.

Walker dribbled down the court, but on a great piece of defense by Salnave, he stole the ball from behind and went the other way, he admitted he thought he had a clear path to the basket for a winning basket, but it didn't turn out that way.

"The ball slipped out of my hands," Salnave admitted. "I thought I had a layup, but I didn't. God I guess works in mysterious ways."

When the ball was poked out from behind it seemed the clock had hit all zeros, but after a discussion at midcourt, the referees decided to put one second back on the clock with Cardozo getting the ball underneath their own basket. Naclerio called a timeout and Walker said that's where the final play was set up.

"In the huddle coach asked everyone who is guarding you and the shortest guy was guarding me and I am pretty athletic so he told me to go up and get it," Walker said about what was discussed in the huddle.

Salnave would be the inbounded because Naclerio says he knew his Monmouth bound guard could throw the ball on a dime, and while there was a good amount of pressure to make the perfect pass, he wasn't worried knowing that it was not going to cost his team the game if they didn't convert.

"We had no timeouts left, and there was only 1 second left. If he gets it, he gets it," Salnave said. "If he doesn't the worst case scenario is we go to overtime."

No one on Cardozo wanted overtime though and the play was scripted up and ultimately it all worked to perfection. Salnave lobbed the ball to the rim as high as he could, and Walker went up around his man and got the ball at the highest point, tipping it with his hand towards the rim and as the final buzzer sounded the ball went through the hoop. The Cardozo fans and players stormed the court as the Judges had done it, beating Christ the King in dramatic fashion at home, 67-65.

It was a true team win for Cardozo as Salnave had 23 points to lead the way, though Utley had a career high 19 points, and the hero of the game Walker added 18 in the win.

The win was sweet for the Judges who wanted this one bad after a rough game on Tuesday against QHST, and Salnave said he was just thankful that they final play worked as well as it did.

"I threw it up and I know Aaron jumps high and he was able to get it and he got it in," Salnave said about the final play.

It was a play that the Judges will remember for a long time, but it's one that Christ the King will want to forget.

Rivers had a team high 22 points in the win for the Royals, with Cole adding 13 points and Alvarado chipping in with 12 points, but a disappointed Christ the King team about the fact that 1 second was put on the clock to end the game left the gym abruptly afterwards with head coach Joe Arbitello not waiting after the game to speak to the waiting media.

The game and the atmosphere overall were fantastic and it was a game to remember for Cardozo who had lost to Christ the King last year at Christ the King, and the year before up at the Federation Tournament in Albany. It was a little bit of revenge, but it may not be the last time they meet as they could meet in the SNY Invitational championship, and there could be another meeting in Albany for the Federation again if both make it that far, and in Naclerio's eyes, that would be a great thing.

"Absolutely. I would love to play Christ the King. They are a great team and I have so much respect for them, and to play them again would be great for us and I think it would be great for New York City basketball as well.