Rice’s Kadeem Jack goes up for the shot in the paint. (Damion Reid)
Devaughn Reid goes strong to the hoop. (Damion Reid)
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
With Rice trailing Cardozo by 19 points late in the third quarter of the SNY Invitational final, coach Mo Hicks opted for the Raiders’ relentless full-court press, which he usually saves for the postseason.
“We had to do something up-tempo to get the game in order,” Hicks said.
Wise decision.
The press forced Cardozo into 15 second-half turnovers – 22 overall – which enabled Rice, the Post’s top-ranked boys basketball team, to force overtime, where it prevailed, 63-58, at Long Island University’s Wellness Center Saturday afternoon.
“That’s why they’re the No. 1 team in the city,” Cardozo guard Reynaldo Walters said.
Highly-recruited forward Kadeem Jack earned tournament MVP honors with 19 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots. Junior Jermaine Sanders scored five of his 12 points in the extra session and reserve Scotty Arias also finished with 12, including the game-tying free throws with 43.6 seconds remaining in regulation.
“The resilience of this team is remarkable,” Hicks said. “The guys never gave up, they never hung their heads, not one time.”
The Judges (12-7) had no answer for the Raiders’ renowned full-court pressure. Forward Dwayne Brunson, who had team-highs of 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Walters each committed six turnovers. Point guard Chris Gayot had four. Instead of aggressively going at the press, Cardozo attempted to dribble through it. Big mistake; the miscues led to easy layups and dunks.
“Once we got past half court, we should’ve attacked more instead of slowing down,” Walters said.
Cardozo was in control with 2:15 left in the third quarter, holding a 45-26 lead after a layup by Ryan Rhoomes (14 points, 11 rebounds). That’s when Hicks instructed his players to pick up 94 feet. The Raiders quickly trimmed eight points off their deficit by the fourth quarter and got within one on Arias’ second 3-pointer with 3:33 left, capping a 24-6 run.
“One thing we know is public school teams have no answer for our defense,” Jack said. “They don’t know how to match up.”
Rice (14-3) had an opportunity to prevail on the final possession of regulation, but Kansas State-bound senior Shane Southwell’s 15-foot jumper caromed off the back rim. Sanders took over in the extra session, first draining a 3-pointer from the left corner and later adding a long fade-away jumper.
“He’s been doing that since his sophomore year,” Hicks said. “He hit some big shots for us last year down the stretch. This is something he’ll continue to do. He’s that type of player.”
Then there was Jack, the 6-foot-8 forward who had another productive evening. In addition to his big offensive game, he was a force under the paint, despite the presence of Rhoomes and Brunson, Cardozo’s big men. Jack blocked two shots in overtime, including Rhoomes’ attempt with less than a half-minute left. Assistant coaches from Seton Hall, St. John’s, Miami and Providence all visited LIU to catch a glimpse of Jack, who is the early frontrunner for postseason player of the year honors.
“Every day a new big-time coach is calling for him and I tell them his upside is great,” Hicks said. “Kadeem hasn’t been playing basketball for a long time. It’s a great thing because you can teach him. As soon as you tell him to do something, he does it right away.”
Cardozo, meanwhile, blew a late lead against a CHSAA juggernaut for the third time. The Queens powerhouse lost to Christ the King, 57-54, Dec. 19 and fell to Bishop Loughlin, 62-61, in overtime Dec. 28.
“How many times can a team work so hard and get crushed?” Cardozo coach Ron Naclerio said in a whisper inside the Judges’ somber locker room. “Each one gets progressively more agonizing.”
