CTK Beat Clippers; Pearson hits 1000
The Clippers kept it close the first time, having lost to Christ the King in December by only 7 points. Royals' Coach Bob Oliva knew it was time for an adjustment.
He certainly made a change, as he had his squad play zone throughout the entire game, something the Queens school has only done twice this season, the other time coming in a win over Rice. Christ the King was able to win the match on their home floor on Super Bowl Sunday by a final score of 75-45.
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The Middle Village squad jumped all over the Clippers from the tip-off, as they held a 14-2 leads after the first quarter thanks to their zone defense and good execution offensively. "This team (Xaverian) called for a zone. They run a number of great plays against a man-to-man offense and after the last game I felt it would be best to play a zone," said coach Oliva following the game. The Royals were led by junior guard Sean Johnson throughout the game, as the defensive-stopper was able to show a multi-dimensional game by knocking down jump shots while having the ball.
A historic moment during a great game came for Christ the King, when with 6:45 left in the second session, Ryan Pearson leaked out in transition for a dunk. This wasn't just any two points for the George Mason-forward, these two brought him to the 1,000 point mark in his Christ the King career. The Royals continued to dominate on the floor throughout the second quarter, as they were able to force turnovers and bad looks at the basket because of their zone defense. 6'5" forward Stuart Wallenstein was the only Xaverian player that could ever find any decent perimeter shots.
The Royals were able to go into half time up 39-20 on Coach Jack Alesi's Clippers. Sean Johnson led all scorers with 10 points, while 6'8" sophomore Roland Brown, who is coming off a tailbone injury, chipped in with 8 points in the opening half. Xaverian was led by the forward Wallensteen in the opening half, who had 6 points.
The Royals continued to pile onto their lead, as they took a 60-26 lead into the fourth quarter as they began to empty their bench and play their reserves. Ryan Pearson, who had a quiet opening half with the exception of his historic dunk, chipped in offensively in the second half and finished with 15 points on the afternoon. Sean Johnson, who has had great back-to-back games (Christ the King's last game was a win over Molloy) finished as the game's leading scorer with 16 points. Xaverian was led by Wallensteen as well as guard Yandell Denis with 9 points apiece.
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