Immediately after his team lost by three at the Garden to St. Benedict’s (NJ) two weeks ago, Rice coach Moe Hicks said: “Christ the King, Bishop Loughlin, St. Raymond’s, those are the important games.”
His players were listening.
Over the past week, the defending league champions beat three of the other top teams in the CHSAA, capping it off with a 79-72 win over Bishop Loughlin in Brooklyn yesterday after earlier victories over St. Raymond’s and Holy Cross.
“This is what I was talking about,” Hicks said. “Those other tournaments are great for just this reason. They get us battle-tested. They get us ready to win games like this one, even if we do get a couple of losses.”
It’s that level of competition, coupled with the fact that the Raiders always seem to be playing important games this time of year, that made the difference yesterday. And Loughlin coach Khalid Green saw it, as well.
“We played hard and we played well, but when things needed to happen, they made the plays,” Green said. “Especially at the crucial times of the games. The things that we’re trying to teach our players to get them to do, they already do them. They’re at a very advanced level.”
That’s one of the aspects of Rice’s game that Green is trying to develop in his own program. The Lions entered yesterday in first place in the league’s Brooklyn/Queens division (they are 15-4, 7-2 CHSAA), thanks in part to a pair of wins over traditional power Christ the King.
They didn’t have enough though to fight off Rice, which unlike in Friday’s win over St. Raymond’s – when Kemba Walker had 39 points – got balanced scoring.
Chris Fouch, who is headed to Drexel, paced the Raiders with 22, while Walker had 17, Dorvell Carter added 15 and Durand Scott had 14. Kevin Phillip led Loughlin with 16.
Hicks said he didn’t really have a preference in how his team got its scoring – either balanced or not – just as long as it wins.
“As long as we get the victory, it’s all right with me,” said Hicks, whose team improved to 17-2, 8-1.
“But I do like the fact that we can win in different ways and we have guys who have proven that they are capable of carrying us in any game.”
And with the league playoffs only a few weeks away, Rice again has established itself as a team in good position to win another championship. The Raiders haven’t lost a league game since dropping the opener to CTK.
“This is a great time for us to be playing like this,” Hicks said. “You don’t want to peak too early, but I don’t think we are. I think we have more things we can do.”
That’s not good news for the rest of the league.
