By Danny Wild
MaxPreps.com
Undefeated for nearly a month, Rice heads into the playoffs next week coming off two consecutive losses.
The Raiders, ranked No. 4 in the nation by MaxPreps, fell in front of a national audience Sunday at the PrimeTime Shootout when Brooklyn’s Lincoln earned a 75-68 win live on ESPNU. Rice (19-4), ranked No. 5 in the nation by ESPN, took its fourth loss on Monday when Iona Prep landed a 62-51 upset.
What’s happened to the so-called best team in New York City?
Can’t blame University of Connecticut-bound Kemba Walker. The recently-named McDonald’s All-American led Rice with 23 points in the loss to Lincoln in Trenton, N.J., over the weekend. The loss to Iona Prep, however, came as somewhat of a surprise; the Raiders had already beaten Iona Prep (11-2) earlier this season on Jan. 14, 62-48.
The story on Sunday, as MaxPreps’ Steve Spiewak so diligently reports, was Lance Stephenson. The Lincoln star helped the Brooklyn squad out to an early lead when he scored 13 of the Railsplitters’ first 17 points. The junior finished with a game-high 35 points and was named player of the game.
Children seeking autographs on the court following the win reportedly mobbed Stephenson, who signed for 20 minutes. Keep in mind, this guy isn’t even a high school senior.
Dorvell Scott finished with 17 points and Chris Fouch added 11 for Rice. Darwin Ellis hit a pair of late free throws to ice the game and finish with 14 points. You can read more about the game here with Mr. Spiewak, as well as Lisa Yen’s excellent photos from the night.
John Letscher scored 23 points for the Gaels in the semifinal win over Rice in the CHSAA boys playoffs. John Hickey added 16 for Iona Prep, which will host Holy Cross in the Division final on Thursday at 8 p.m.
Christ the King Slams Trenton Central, Holy Cross
Ryan Pearson scored 23 points and Erving Walker was named game MVP as Christ the King knocked off New Jersey rival Trenton Central, 64-47, at the PrimeTime Shootout on Sunday. The win came two days after the Royals upset No. 4 Holy Cross on Thursday, 86-75.
Walker scored 13 for Christ the King, which led by as much as 20 points. The effort was sure to impress Florida coach Billy Donovan, who sat courtside in Trenton. Walker helped the Royals outscore the hosts 19-3 in the second quarter.
Trenton (19-5) entered the game as one of the elite teams from a talent-laden Garden State. The Royals (17-5) remain No. 5 in New York. MaxPreps’ Lisa Yen has the photos from the Royals victory.
Pearson again was the key on Thursday with a team-high 31 points in a 14-point win over Holy Cross. Pearson scored 15 of his points in the first eight minutes and helped Christ the King to a 23-14 led after the first quarter. The Royals took a 44-32 lead into halftime, but Holy Cross managed to cut the deficit to 10 in the fourth after Sylven Landesberg scored five quick points.
Anthony Martin scored 18 points and Walker added 17 for CTK. Landesberg dropped a game-high 37 points for the Knights, who were just 3-of-21 from three-point range in the loss.
Super-Sized List of NYC Stars Named All-American
McDonald’s released its 2008 boys All-American nominees last week, and New York City seniors dominated the state lineup.
A trio of Rice seniors earned recognition: Kemba Walker, Dorvell Carter and Chris Fouch. Darryl Bryant was the lone St. Raymond All-American, while Holy Cross dominated the list with Tim Beinert, Blaise Ffrench, Ernest Freeman, Sylven Landesberg and Kayvon Roberts all making the cut.
The list also included Christ the King’s Erving Walker and Ryan Pearson; Canarsie’s Brian Cummings and Yves Jules; Xaverian’s Rasheem King; Benjamin Benneker Academy’s appropriately named Norron McDonald; Poly Prep’s Justin Newton and Bishop Loughlin’s Kevin Phillip.
Isn’t it ironic, though, that the folks primarily responsible for obesity in America are the ones deciding who the best athletes are? The list, actually, is gathered by Sports America, Inc., which puts together a voting process for the various teams. Close to 1,800 boys nationwide are named All-American, so I don’t know how exclusive this list actually is. It almost makes the Pro Bowl seem relevant.
The All-American games will be held on Wednesday, March 26 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, and you can buy tickets online through ticketmaster.
Rank ‘Em
Another week with Rice at the top of the state. All of the top-four teams remain idle in this week’s latest MaxPreps state rankings, but we do see Christ the King and Bishop Loughlin trade spots at No. 5 and 6. Undefeated Section 1 power Peekskill finally bounced Henninger out of the Top-10 this week. Adios, Syracuse.
1. Rice: 19-3 after a surprising loss to Iona Prep on Monday
2. St. Raymond: 17-4, beat All Hallows 98-66 last week
3. Lincoln: Railsplitters (20-3) fell to Boys & Girls last week by one point
4. Holy Cross: 14-7 after loss to Christ the King
5. Christ the King: 17-5 after loss to Iona Prep on Monday
6. Bishop Loughlin: Two straight losses, will take on St. Raymond on Friday
7. Boys & Girls: 20-3, undefeated since December, Ruth Lovelace loves it
8. Mt. Vernon: Knights are 7-1 at home and 8-0 in league play. Nice
9. Niagara Falls: And you thought it was cold in Queens this week. Try the Canadian border
10. Peekskill: 20-0. They beat Beacon 99-36. And they’re first now back in the Top-10?
St. Raymond Falls at Shootout
St. Raymond, ranked No. 2 in New York, fell to Linden (N.J.) over the weekend in overtime, 77-68, at the PrimeTime Shootout. It was the Raven’s second loss of the month and fourth since Jan. 7.
David Bruce led Linden (18-5) with 34 points and came up clutch with some key free throws late to help send the Ravens back to the Bronx in defeat. Houston-bound Desmond Wade dropped 23 points for the Tigers, a hot team that hit 10 from the charity stripe in overtime to seal the win.
Darryl Bryant led St. Ray (15-4) with 22 points. “Truck” sank a three-pointer in the fourth to put the Ravens ahead briefly. The game remained tied at 61-61 after regulation.
St. Raymond faces Bloomfield Tech (NJ) on Wednesday at home before traveling to Brooklyn to take on No. 6 Bishop Loughlin on Feb. 15 at 7:30 p.m.
Brooklyn’s Loughlin Schools Trenton Catholic
No. 6 Bishop Loughlin raced out to an 11-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back on Sunday with a 72-48 destruction of Trenton Catholic at the PrimeTime Shootout.
Sophomore Doron Lamb scored a game-high 28 points for Loughlin (9-6). The Lions had dropped two straight to Rice and Holy Cross, but now have some confidence in their final week with contests against Archbishop Molloy on Tuesday and St. Raymond at home on Friday.
Trenton (19-5) had breezed though much of its schedule coming into the weekend. \
According to NYHoops.com, Loughlin All-American senior Kevin Phillip was disappointed in the tournament scheduling.
"I feel real disrespected they gave us this team,” NYHoops quoted Phillip saying. “I feel they should have given us a better team.”
Strong words from Philip, considering Bishop Loughlin had lost four of its previous seven games.
St. John’s coach Norm Robert watched Lamb’s big effort on Sunday, according to SNY.tv. More eyes will follow the Lions when they head into the CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens Diocesan playoffs next week.
Boys & Girls Shocks Lincoln
Brandon Romain scored a team-high 20 points last Tuesday to help lead No. 7 Boys & Girls past No. 3 Lincoln, 67-66, in Brooklyn.
Clayton Sterling collected 19 points and sank two decisive free throws with less than 30 seconds to play for the win.
The drama fully unfolded in the final moments when Lincoln’s Lance Stephenson missed one of three potential game-winning shots in the final nine seconds. Lance scored 19 points and helped the Railsplitters to a 16-point lead at one point in the third.
"It was the longest nine seconds of my life," Boys & Girls coach Ruth Lovelace told the New York Daily News of the final moments, when the Railsplitters came up empty on three attempts. "These guys play big-time basketball. Two of our three losses were in double-overtime - to Holy Cross and Lincoln.”
The Kangaroos erased the double-digit deficit and tied the game at 62-62 late in the fourth. Sterling gave the Boys a lead on two shots from the charity stripe late after missing some clutch free throws earlier in the night.
"I really let my team down before by missing free throws," Sterling told the Daily News, "but I wasn't going to miss with the game on the line."
Danny Wild is a writer and photographer for MaxPreps and can be reached at danny@danny-wild.com
