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Top Teams Battle Before the Holidays

Four teams ushered in the holiday season on Friday with two knock down drag out games. The first game featured two teams from the Bronx as Cardinal Hayes hosted Monsignor Scanlan. In the second game, Iona Prep occupied home turf against St. Raymond.

Cardinal Hayes outlast Scanlan's crusade, 72-60

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Joe Toussaint goes up strong
Joe Toussaint goes up strong (M. Wingate)

BRONX, NY - The #2 ranked Cardinals clearly have no intention of dropping in the rankings anytime soon as they took down a bigger, stronger Scanlan Crusaders squad on Friday. In a game that saw over 50 fouls called, Hayes used defense to systematically chop their opponents down to size.

“Defense, defense, defense,” stressed 6’0” Joe Toussaint ‘19. “The coach told us that defense is the key to the game.” The sophomore leader of the Cardinals said his squad couldn’t have won without teamwork.

5’10” Jontai Williams ’18 and 5’10” Jaelen Nesmith ‘19 were pivotal players in the game according to Toussaint. “We love playing defense and we love passing the ball to each other.” Nesmith said that the entire team has bought into the concept of defense first. “We know we’re gonna score. We’ve got shooters, ball handlers and everything. We just worry about defense."

Scanlan tested the Cardinals defense early and often as 6’6” point guard Saquan Singleton ‘17 and 6’6” Gabe Bryan ‘17 attack the rim with fury. The Crusaders jumped out to a 7 – 1 lead but Toussaint and Nesmith slowly turned the tide with perimeter shots. With 4:15 left in the opening quarter Toussaint tied the game at 9 and soon after a trifecta from Nesmith put Hayes out front.

Jaelen Nesmith, Jontai Williams & Joe Toussaint
Jaelen Nesmith, Jontai Williams & Joe Toussaint (M. Wingate)

6’2” Tyrese Williams ‘18 and 6’2” Terry Dawkins ‘18 began to contribute offensively Hayes took a 6-point lead to start the second quarter after ending the first with an 8 – 0 run.

The Crusaders did not go quietly. A three-pointer by 6’3” Danny Dacosta ‘18 was followed up by an intense dunk by 6’7” Victor Potter ‘17 and Scanlan was once again up 34-32 with 2:15 left in the half. A strong finish by Toussaint and Williams coupled with poor free-throw shooting by Scanlon ultimately left gave Cardinal Hayes the upper hand as the second quarter ended.

Down 37 – 35 to start the third quarter, Scanlan relied on its athleticism to tie the game at 43 and again at 45. Bryan was a problem in the paint for Hayes and with 2 minutes remaining in the quarter, scored in transition to regain the lead.

Undeterred, the Cardinals fought back and Toussaint and J. Williams shot Hayes back into the lead. Ahead by six heading into the final quarter, the Cardinals suffered the downside of aggressive defense as T. Williams and Dawkins fouled out.

To Hayes’s credit, the team would not only rise to the occasion but extend its advantage to twelve point while also fouling Singleton out. “We knew they were big,” said Nesmith. We knew we had to be more scrappier than them and play defense and take charges.”

Toussaint finished up with a game high 27 points with Nesmith and Jontai Williams adding 12 points and 11 point respectively. Bryan led Scanlan with 20 points while Singleton contributed 12 points.

Now at 8 – 0, asked if he believes Cardinal Hayes will remain undefeated, Toussaint responded confidently, “Of course.”

St. Raymond treks through Gael's force, 64 – 57

High scorer Darius Lee powers inside for the bucket
High scorer Darius Lee powers inside for the bucket (M. Wingate)

NEW ROCHELLE, NY - Unable to piece together two wins in a row all season, a now healthy Raven’s team hoped to show their full potential as they took on a bitter Iona Prep. The Gaels who had just suffered its first loss of the season against Archbishop Molloy, wanted to get back to its winning ways and not start a losing streak. The clash of the two storylines made for high drama in a packed Iona Prep gym.

Both squads hit the ground running from the tip off. 6’2” Omar Silverio ‘18 pushed the pace and kicked it to 6’5” Darius Lee ‘18 for the deuce. The Ravens run was briefly interrupted by a trey from 6’8” Josh Alexander ‘18 but Minnesota-bound 6’2” Isaiah Washington ‘17 countered with a nice and1 bucket.

Iona Prep trailed by 5 points but a coast-to-coast bucket by 6’5” Bryce Willis ‘18 along with baskets by 6’1” Romar Reid ‘18 polished off a 10 – 1 Gaels run as St. Ray’s struggled from the perimeter. The Gaels gained the upper hand as the end of the opening quarter grew near but a push by 6’2” Dallas Watson ‘18 strong to the hole tied the game at 14 to begin the second quarter.

The battle continued with both sides tossing grenades. 6’4” Nick Brennan ‘17 did a good job as a blue-collar worker for Iona Prep While Silverio continued to launch from the sky. Watson and Washington were most effective for St. Ray’s implementing an aggressive ground game that left them with a 28 – 24 lead as the half ended.

Isaiah Washington & Dallas Watson
Isaiah Washington & Dallas Watson (M. Wingate)

While everyone else was struggling with their perimeter game, that was not the case with Alexander who kept Iona Prep in the hunt with clutch long balls when they needed them most. The Ravens remained steadfast as Lee continued to get all the dirty buckets for his team.

Iona Prep trailed by only 6 as the fourth quarter commenced hoped to pull a rabbit out of their hat but without the services of one of its go-to-guys, a tough task would become that much tougher. 6’9” Souleymane Koureissi ‘18 was unable to play due to a twisted ankle suffered during the loss against Molloy.

The Gaels were unshaken and fought tooth and nail against St. Ray’s, gaining ground by increments. A trey by Reid knotted the game at 48. The Ravens tried to counter but at the two-minute mark, Brennan gave the Gaels a 1-point lead. Lee quickly regained the advantage for the Ravens who then went on a 5 – 0 run to close out the game.

Lee was high man for St. Rays with 16 points with Washington and Watson netting 14 points each. Alexander was high man for Iona Prep with 20 points and 13 rebounds.

Ravens head coach Jorge Lopez said that he stressed to his team that they have to be discipline in order to win games. “If we stick to the script, we can win a lot of games but once we get away from what we are trying to accomplish and our goals, that’s when the game gets away from us.”

Lopez said that the challenge for his team is their ability to execute in pressure situations. “I think today we did.”


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