CHSAA boys basketball beat writer Dylan Butler breaks down Monday’s Brooklyn/Queens Diocesan first round at Holy Cross.
Here’s the schedule:
6 p.m. – No. 4 Bishop Loughlin vs. No. 5 Archbishop Molloy
7:30 p.m. – No. 3 Holy Cross vs. No. 6 St. Francis Prep
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Bishop Loughlin Lions
Head coach: Ed Gonzalez
Record: 11-13
Player to watch: Khadeen Carrington
Archbishop Molloy Stanners
Head coach: Jack Curran
Record: 13-11
Player to watch: Chris Dorgler
Outlook: If the regular season is any indication, it should be a wild and unpredictable Brooklyn/Queens Diocesan tournament.
“There’s not one dominant team,” Bishop Loughlin coach Ed Gonzalez said. “There are very good teams and teams on a good night can beat anyone else. There’s a lot of parity throughout the league.”
It took some time, but the young Lions are starting to roar. Despite losing senior Davonte Dunham to a season-ending foot injury, Loughlin ended the regular season by winning five of its last seven games, including a 68-58 victory against Archbishop Molloy.
Leading the charge for the Lions, who have won their last three games by a combined six points, are freshmen Khadeen Carrington and Elisha Boone and juniors Travis Charles and Joel Angus
“It’s going to be a war,” Loughlin coach Ed Gonzalez said. “They have some great players and a Hall-of-Fame coach so I just have to prepare my guys to do what we do and hopefully we’ll be victorious at the end of the night.
The Stanners, meanwhile, have struggled down the stretch, winning just one of their last seven games. Saint Rose-bound senior swingman Chris Dorgler has been one of the best players in the CHSAA this year, but Molloy, which split a pair of closely-contested regular-season games with Loughlin, hasn’t gotten consistent efforts from its other key players, such as Chris Garcia, Mark Parisi and George Davis.
Holy Cross Knights
Head coach: Paul Gilvary
Record: 14-10
Player to watch: Evan Conti
St. Francis Prep Terriers
Head coach: Tim Leary
Record: 12-12
Player to watch: George Hatzioannides
Outlook: The third – and decisive – chapter of the Battle of the Boulevard will be the main event Monday night. Both teams have a road win in the storied rivalry this season. St. Francis Prep drew first blood at William J. O’Meara Gymnasium with a stunning 67-51 win on Jan. 7. It was the Terriers first win against Holy Cross in four years.
The Knights exacted revenge down Francis Lewis Boulevard on Feb. 4, winning 62-52. It was the third of six straight losses to end the regular season for St. Francis Prep.
When the Terriers are at their best, guards George Hatzioannides, Mike Murray, Glyne Straker and Joe Salerno all play within themselves and Andrew Winter cleans up everything in the paint. Holy Cross, meanwhile, relies on the outside shooting of Evan Conti, Will Davis, Marquise Moore and Anthony Libroia. While Marcus Hopper has been battling a shoulder injury, Mairega Clarke has filled the void nicely.
While the players and fans are excited about a third battle between the hated rivals, the coaches are more ambivalent.
“I’d much rather play a lousy team,” Holy Cross coach Paul Gilvary said. “St. Francis is a good team. They’re very well coached and they’ve played well all season. I’d much rather play a team that’s a lot worse than them if I could.”
