St. Ray's gives CTK a royal beating
BRONX, NY- After an 0-3 start to the season there were a lot of doubts about this year's St. Raymond's team with people wondering if the Ravens were in for what would have to be considered a disappointing campaign.
That mindset quickly changed though as St. Ray's came together as a group and after Thursday are now winners of 13 out of their last 14 and 8 in a row as the Ravens went up early and never looked back in a dominant 87-58 victory over Christ the King.
Having lost their first three games of the year the questions internally were abound as the Ravens were looking to figure out who they truly were as a team. It wasn't until they started running more and pushing the tempo that St. Raymond really came together, with head coach Jorge Lopez saying it was then that an identity with this year's group had been found.
"It took us a few losses to find our identity as a team," Lopez admitted. "We love to push the ball in transition, and I feel that if we can do that on a consistent basis then that's when we play our best basketball and it's really shown here lately."
Playing against Christ the King on Thursday, Lopez and his team all knew that to win they would have to play the way they wanted and be able to run it and keep the game at a fast pace while also shooting the ball from the outside at a good rate as well.
Working their game plan to near perfection, the Ravens got off to a great shooting start with Malachi Smith '21 and Luis Kortright '20 combining for six three pointers in the opening half to help St. Ray's get off to a quick lead.
Nate Curry '19 was one of the bright spots in the early going for Christ the King as he had 10 points in the first half stretching out the Ravens defense in the halfcourt and knocking down a handful of midrange jumpers, but the ability to play fast and really run, run, and run some more allowed St. Raymond to comfortably build up a 45-31 lead on the Royals at the half.
Ravens leading scorer Gary Grant '20 had 10 points as well in the first half but it was the play of Smith and Kortright that really carried St. Ray's to their double-digit halftime lead, a fact that Lopez said wasn't lost on him.
"I emphasize to our guys that Gary is the focal point of our offense but for us to continue to perform at a high level those other guys have to step up, and we were getting that today from Luis and Malachi," Lopez explained.
Smith had 15 in the first half and was a real spark for the Ravens offense saying that he was motivated to go up against Christ the King sophomore Sterling Brown and showcase that he is as well in the conversation of best sophomores in New York City, and wanting to prove a point on that level, along with knowing that a win on Thursday would send the Ravens into first place in the CHSAA Archdiocese of New York Division.
It was truly more of the same for St. Raymond in the second half as Grant got more touches inside to which he finished with ease, and with Christ the King playing without Quaran McPherson '20 because of a knee injury, along with still missing Moussa Cisse '21, it was clear that the Royals just didn't have the offensive firepower to match the Ravens on this day.
The lead for St. Ray's hits the 30-point mark late in the fourth quarter as it was domination down the stretch in just about every area for the Ravens as led by Grant's 25 points St. Raymond would take an 87-58 win over Christ the King in one of the more one-sided games ever played between these two storied programs.
Getting 25 from Grant, 23 from Kortright, and 22 from Smith meant it was a balanced offensive effort for St. Ray's and its three main stars as Tahron Allen '21 missed the game on Thursday because he was hurt and unable to play. The Ravens didn't miss him on this day though with Lopez saying taking down Christ the King is another notch in his team's belt as they continue to prove themselves against New York's best.
"We know we have had a real good stretch of wins and to be considered among the best wins against the likes of Christ the King mean a lot, so this was an important win for us to keep things going," Lopez said.
Missing a couple of key pieces, the Royals were paced by the 14 points of Curry while Ryan Myers '20 added 13 points as well in the loss, with Christ the King next going to Massachusetts to play in the HoopHall Classic on Saturday against a nationally ranked Vashon team out of Missouri.
For St. Raymond next up is Msgr. Scanlan on Sunday and the Crusaders alone are the focus for the Ravens as even though they are on one of their best streaks in recent years, Lopez says they aren't thinking ahead and not getting caught up in the hype as they will enjoy Thursday's win for a bit and then it's back to the drawing board for the next one as they look to stay the course, play Ravens basketball, and continue to get better every day.
"We are focused and aren't getting caught up in what others are saying about us because we know it's about working hard in practice and taking it one step at a time," Lopez stated. "The next step is Scanlan on Sunday and for us that's all that matters."
