BRONX, NY - The Cardinals played at home against St. Raymond in their second matchup of the year. In the first game, St. Raymond defeated Hayes 73-56 on their home court.
With Cardinal Hayes having the home court advantage this time and a rumbustious fan base in the stands, they got their revenge and won 91-83. Isaiah Washington scored more than half of his team’s points and ended the game with 54 points but that would not be enough.
Upon entering the gym, there was great anticipation felt by every spectator. When the starting lineup of both squads stepped on to the court, there was a huge ovation from everyone in attendance. These two Bronx teams have cultivated a great rivalry that is very well-known in the CHSAA and is widely recognized by numerous New York High School basketball fans.
The first quarter displayed a very up-tempo style of play that could have been described as a track meet. Cardinal Hayes 6-2 guard Tyreese Williams ‘18 brought the Hayes gym into a frenzy early after dropping a St. Raymond’s defender to the ground and dishing a clean assist to guard Jontai Williams ’18 for the midrange shot.
The following offensive possession T. Williams knocked down a sweet three-pointer to bring Hayes up 9-3 and forced a timeout from Coach Jorge Lopez of St. Raymond’s with 6:13 still in the first quarter. After the break, Washington started to get to the rim at will and produce points for his team at an incredible rate, scoring 18 points in the first period. Also, T. Williams of Cardinal Hayes had a trio of three-pointers to end the quarter. Hayes held the early lead 28-24 to finish the first quarter.
Although the high scoring affair was extremely entertaining, the coaches must not have been pleased with the lack of defensive intensity presented from their teams. In the second quarter, it was evident that the Ravens decided to resolve that issue by implementing a full-court press that sped up Hayes and forced them into turnovers.
It was very effective because it allowed the Ravens to reclaim the lead and slow down the Cardinals potent offense. On offense, St. Raymond’s attacked the paint and received points from 6-5 forward Darius Lee ‘18. Cardinal Hayes held him to only 8 points in the period and stayed within reaching distance. The first half ended with the game tied at 42-42.
The start of the second half was a back and forth affair. It was the Hayes’ backcourt versus Washington. After a deep ball and fast break lay-up from T. Williams and Joe Toussaint ’19 respectively, Washington drilled a step back three and then glided by the Hayes defense to add to his point total.
Toussaint didn’t let up either, displaying his scoring ability with 9 points in the quarter. With three minutes in the third, Washington received his first rest on the bench. During that span reserve guard Terrence Reaves ’18 ignited the team with a big steal and then pounced on the ball to regain possession. Although there were no points gained, the hustle was well appreciated. The third period ended 66-59 Cardinal Hayes ahead.
The story of the final quarter was whether Cardinal Hayes would be able to sustain Washington’s scoring and not relinquish the lead. Hayes 6-2 190lb forward Terry Dawkins ‘18 came up big with 10 points coming all from the paint.
Washington remained untouchable and continued to show an array of moves on the offensive end. After an interior basket from Dawkins, Washington returned and scored before the defense was set. The next play he made was a three-pointer to make the score 79-77 Ravens with two minutes remaining. After that shot, there was no timeout called after the quick spurt from St. Raymond.
T. Williams received the ball on the wing in front of the Hayes bench and drilled a deep long range three-pointer in response to the spurt. That shot brought the fans to a roar and was the biggest shot of the game. This made the score 82-77 with 1:53 left in the game. Even though there was some time remaining the game was all, but over. Washington was able to bury some jumpers to keep the game close, but late game free throw shooting sealed the victory.
“Our defense didn’t work,” said Coach Joe Lods with regard to Washington. “What could we do? Whoever we put on him he continued to play great. That’s why he doesn’t have to pay for college tuition.”
The primary reason for the victory was that Hayes had a more balanced unit on the court. Even though Washington was the best talent on the court. “We have five guys that can get it done. They [only] have one, said Coach Lods.”
Toussaint finished with 25 points with T. Williams adding 20 points.
Cardinal Hayes improves to 15 – 6 while St. Raymond’s falls to 11 – 10.
