Comebacks @ CHSAA B/Q Tourny

BRIARWOOD, NY - The first round of the CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens Diocesan Tournament got underway on Monday at Archbishop Molloy HS and featured two exciting contests between Bishop Loughlin vs Holy Cross and Molloy vs. St. Francis Prep.

Molloy Three-Beats St. Francis Prep, 50-45

"YOU CAN'T BEAT US!!" was the rallying cry of the Molloy Stanner's faithful throughout the contest between Archbishop Molloy and St. Francis Prep. With two regular season wins under their belts, Stanner fans felt confident that a trifecta was a foregone conclusion even though the odds are against beating a team three times in a row.

Motivated by their underdog status, from the onset, it was the Terriers who were intent on being the A.V.E.N.G.E.R.S. during this playoff game. Jumping out in front early, 5'11" Shane Herrity '15 (10 points) played the role of Superman in the first half. The St. Francis Prep senior guard seemed hell bent on extracting a victory from the packed Jack Curran gym, often smirking to the crowd as he proceeded to slice and dice through Molloy's defense.

Herrity would go on a tear in Reggie Miller-esque fashion with backup from 5'11" Connor Bacci '15 (11 points) and the Terriers led 14-4 to begin the second quarter. Willing to take charges and sacrifice as a team, St. Francis Prep maintained its advantage of 11 points with 6:17 left in the half.

The highly partisan Molloy crowd was not happy and jeered, directing their taunts primarily at Herrity. 6'5" Isaac Grant '16 (16 points) finally powered his way to the hoop, giving Molloy and its fans a boost. 6'1" D'Ante Warren '16 (20 points) proceeded to cut the Stanners deficit to single digits with a strong drive to the hole.

With 2:37, St. Francis Prep led 27-11 as Bacci and Herrity continued to tag team the Stanners. 6'1" Justin Cole '16 came up big, hitting a buzzer beater to end the half, giving Molloy a little life. The Terriers still maintained a convincing 30-19 lead going into the intermission.

"We tried to play smarter in the second half," said Molloy Head Coach Mike McCleary. "We played into their hands the first half by taking a lot of long shots and a lot of bad shots." McCleary added that his team's play also forced them to struggle on offense but said that the tide turned in the second half. "We got the ball inside to where our strength is."

The momentum from Cole's two-point heave carried over into the third quarter and spearheaded a Molloy revival. Grant began to power up in the paint and cut the lead to 30-24. Warren and 5'10" sharpshooter Jason Camus '15 (9 points) soon sliced the lead to 30-29 with 3:11 left in the third.

Bacci ended the Stanners 10-0 run but St. Francis Prep's convincing lead had been reduced to a mere 3 points. Warren tied the game at 33 and Molloy took a 35-33 lead to start the fourth.

Molloy extended their lead as Camus drained a jumper. Herrity who was like Superman in the first half was given massive doses of defensive Kryptonite in the second and shot a dismal one of nine. The Terriers did manage to tie the game at 40 but their momentum had irreparably shifted and Warren and Grant could not be contained. Out front with 46.3 seconds remaining in regulation and buoyed by their fans, a/k/a the 6th man, the Stanners would advance to the next round of the playoffs.

Coach McCleary commended his dynamic duo. "D'Ante Warren was just tremendous in the second half and Isaac Grant grabbed every rebound," he said.

Next up for Molloy is an uphill battle against Christ the King where the Stanners become the team that has lost two in a row but McCleary believes his team has a punchers chance. "[Christ the] King is tough [and] very athletic. We played 'em twice so far and been with them for three quarters. We have to figure out a way to complete that fourth quarter."

Bishop Loughlin Eaten By Holy Cross, 62-59

It was a strong opening quarter for the young Loughlin Lions who led 16-8 with sophomores Keith Williams (21 points) and 6'5" Jordan Thomas (15 points) pacing the team. The Holy Cross Knights would make a run sparked by Jermaine Bishop '15 (15 points) and 6'5" Christian Wilson '16 (20 points) to close the gap but Loughlin remained in front 31-27 at the half

The Lions opened it up to begin the third as Thomas stuffed it in transition, pushing their lead to 8 points early. With 4:56, Wilson cut lead to 35-34 and soon Bishop gave Holy Cross a 38-35 advantage with 3:44 left in the quarter.

Loughlin could only manage to exchange baskets with the Knights. 6'3" James Horton '16 (8 points) ended the quarter strong for the Knights with an and1. 6'3" Marques Watson '17 (3 points) countered hitting a buzzer beater to stay within 1 points as the final stanza began

At the five minute mark, a three-ball by Wilson put Cross up 6 but Williams sliced the lead in half with a trey of his own. 3:02 remained in regulation and Loughlin was still down, 54-49.

Loughlin fought back but with 1:08, Thomas missed two free throws that could've cut the deficit to 2 points. Soon ahead by 6 points with 41.4 seconds, Holy Cross would go on to advance to the next round.