CHSAA boys basketball beat writer Dylan Butler breaks down Saturday’s New York Archdiocesan final between No. 1 St. Raymond and second-seeded Rice at Mount St. Michael.
Who: No. 1 St. Raymond vs. No. 2 Rice
What: New York Archdiocesan title game
When: Saturday, 1 p.m.
Where: Mount St. Michael (4300 Murdock Ave.)
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St. Raymond Ravens
Head coach: Oliver Antigua
Record: 16-9
Player to watch: Daniel Dingle
Rice Raiders
Head coach: Dwayne Mitchell
Record: 16-9
Player to watch: Jermaine Sanders
Outlook: Oliver Antigua isn’t interested in a history lesson. He’s well aware Rice has won the last five New York Archdiocesan tournament championships. That’s because the Raiders have beaten his Ravens each time.
“I don’t care how many times they won it,” the St. Raymond coach said. “The only time that matters is Saturday.”
Antigua has reason to believe this year is different. The Ravens finished atop the division, splitting the regular season series with Rice.
At Gauchos Gym on Jan. 14, Devaughn Reid scored a game-high 21 points and Melvin Johnson added 18 points for Rice in a 75-63 victory.
St. Ray’s got its revenge, and clinched the tournament’s top seed, with an emotional 74-69 win on Super Bowl Sunday.
It was in the locker room after that game that Antigua proclaimed his team a legitimate contender for the Class AA intersectional title. The Ravens can prove that even further by ending the Raiders’ five-year run of Archdiocesan championships.
“I think if we play our game we’ll be fine,” Antigua said. “We beat them at home and jumped out to a big lead because our guards played really well. I think that’s our key. Our guards have to handle their pressure because they want to pressure you the whole game.”
St. Raymond’s booked its ticket into the final by beating St. Peter’s in the semifinals Tuesday. The Ravens picked up their defensive intensity in the second half and it resulted in plenty of fast-break points. Rice, meanwhile, had all it could handle from an All Hallows team it beat by a combined 77 points in two regular-season blowouts.
The Raiders will have to play more consistently to have a chance at a six-peat. The winner faces Bishop Loughlin in the Class AA intersectional quarterfinals, while the loser meets Xaverian.
“It gives us a better seeding, but it also gives us bragging rights because Rice took this five years in a row,” St. Ray’s guard Larry Graves said. “We want to show them this is our year.”
