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Molloy Crushes Bishop Loughlin

Khalid Moore goes up strong
Khalid Moore goes up strong (M. Libert)

BRIARWOOD, NY- Just over two weeks ago when Archbishop Molloy and Bishop Loughlin met in Brooklyn it was the Lions who came out on top in a 93-87 slugfest. The rematch was held on Sunday in Queens and while it was another high scoring affair, this time it was the Stanners who came out in front as they led nearly the entire way to take a 97-76 victory.

The loss to Bishop Loughlin January 11th was still on the minds of the Stanners when they came onto the court for Sunday's tilt, and that was especially so for star sophomore guard Cole Anthony '19.

He said that they mental preparation coming into Sunday for the game against the Lions was as strong as they have had as a unit, and as the leader of the team, Anthony also admitted that he felt the need to come out of the gate strong and set a tone for how this game would be different.

"I like to hold my team to a higher standard and my belief is there is better way of doing that than leading by example," Anthony said.

In front of a strong crowd for a Sunday at Archbishop Molloy it proved to be quick offensive start as neither team was able to do much defensively to stop the other. Adrien Nunez '17 got on the board with a pair of threes from the corner for Bishop Loughlin, but that was countered right back as Anthony and Jackson Vertucci '17 would drain threes of their own.

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A high scoring opening quarter was capped off by a ferocious two handed slam by Moses Brown '18 on a put back, though it was the Lions who were in front 20-16 behind their sharpshooting touch from behind the arc.

Wanting his team to be more aggressive defensively, Archbishop Molloy head coach Mike McCleary implored his Stanners team in between quarters to defend better against both Keith Williams '17 and Markquis Nowell '18 noting that if you take those two weapons away, you take away a large majority of the Bishop Loughlin offense.

The Stanners listened as well as they came out with more intensity in looking to get stops, and controlled the play throughout the 2nd quarter, eventually taking a lead at 29-27 after a runner in the lane by Jade Tse '18 while he got fouled.

Another force for Molloy was proving to be John Herring '17 as he was doing a great job on the glass, as well as finishing in the paint and creating his own opportunities. Loughlin on the other hand was not getting the looks they were getting early on, and in the closing second of the half Williams picked up his 3rd foul, sending Loughlin to the locker room down 47-35, and in severe foul trouble as well.


Playing at a pace that most would consider Bishop Loughlin's pace in pushing the tempo and getting up and down the floor as quick as possible may be something more attributed to the Lions, but Herring says he knows it suits what Molloy likes to do as well which is why they thrived as a group so much in the 2nd quarter.

"We have athletic players that like to run too so it may be their style, but it fits our style of play as well," Herring admitted.

One of the major keys for Archbishop Molloy was their containment of Nowell as he went off for 19 points and 13 assists in the first game this two played, but this was proving to be a near opposite result as each time he went to shoot the ball there was a hand in his face, while also finding Brown, Herring and company inside waiting for him making it tough to finish around the rim when he went off the dribble.

The lead for the Stanners kept growing in the 3rd as even with Tyrese Gaffney '17 coming on strong as the Lions third option, Molloy were thriving in the open court and pushing the ball off Loughlin misses as Brown was able to run the court and finish in transition, as was Khalid Moore '18 who threw down two big slams. The lead grew to as big as 17 in the 3rd quarter as well as Bishop Loughlin struggled to defend both the inside, and outside against a motivated Archbishop Molloy teams.

Bishop Loughlin may have held out some hope going into the 4th quarter down by 15 that a closing run could be possible, but Anthony's FT shooting wouldn't allow that as the sophomore was aggressive in making moves to the rim, getting to the FT line time after time where he was flawless on the day.

Moses Brown & Cole Anthony
Moses Brown & Cole Anthony (M. Libert)

Down the stretch the only doubt was would Molloy be able to score 100 points. They fell just short in the end of that as the Stanners made yet another statement in dominating Bishop Loughlin, getting revenge for their previous loss to the Lions, winning convincingly on Sunday, 97-76.

Anthony had a game high 29 points, going 17-17 from the FT line and doing what he said he would do in leading by example, but while he was great from start to finish, Anthony was quick to credit this as a team victory.

"It wasn't just me, it was a collective effort," Anthony stated. "We all did a good job controlling the game and playing within ourselves and were able to get the win because of it."

He was right as Brown added 25 points and 19 rebounds, while Herring also had a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds in an interior effort that showed just how good the Stanners can be all over the floor.

Williams had a team high 24 points for Bishop Loughlin with Gaffney adding 22 points as well for the Lions who got just 6 points from Nowell on Sunday, a season low for the junior guard.

A very happy McCleary after the game said that he felt for one of the first times this season that his team controlled the play from the opening tip to the final buzzer, something he now hopes becomes a pattern for the Stanners the rest of the way.

It will become more commonplace if Anthony has anything to say about it as he says that while he has always known how good this Archbishop Molloy team can be, today just showed what they can be if they play as one.

"Today set a tone for how good we can be as a team. I am going to hold the team to an even higher standard than I did previously because I really see now how good we can be when we all play together."


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