BRONX, NY – Catholic HS Athletic Association (CHSAA) players have up to four chances to win a varsity championship but only one chance to win a freshmen chip. The Archbishop Stepinac Crusaders entered that rarified air on Saturday when they soundly defeated Iona Prep, 70 – 42, to win the Class AA Intersectional Freshmen Championship.
The Crusaders ended their season with a record of 23 – 1 with their only loss coming during the regular season against Iona Prep. Clearly looking to avenge that blemish, Stepinac came out swinging versus the Gaels and led by 8 points after the first quarter spearheaded by the play of 6’1” Jalen Mehu and 5’9” Brian Hsu.
6’6” Kenny Benedict carried most of the offensive load for Iona Prep in the first half (and second half) but firepower from 6’6” Adonis Ratliff in the second quarter kept the Crusaders well ahead. Stellar floor generalship from 5’10” Jack Coco helped Stepinac maintain a 31 – 22 at the midway point.
In the second half, Stepinac raised the temperature on the Gaels on both ends of the court. Offense came from Mehu, Ratliff, Coco and 6’4” Sean McKenny with Hsu as the team’s primary ballhandler. Once again Benedict was tasked with providing 90% of the points scored for Iona Prep.
That recipe resulted in the Crusaders extending their lead to 25 points with 2:44 left in the third quarter. Iona Prep fought back but still trailed by 14 points heading into the final quarter but an empathic dunk by Mehu spelled the beginning of end. Never leading, the Gaels eventually subbed out.
Mehu led Stepinac with 16 points with Ratliff and Coco contributing 15 points and 12 points, respectively. Benedict was the leading scorer for Iona Prep with a game high of 22 points. No other Gaels player scored double-digits.
