Connor Nicholson struggled in the first half. He missed every shot he took. Being the youngest player on the court for Monsignor Farrell, which was facing elimination, looked like it was getting to the sharpshooter.
So at halftime coach Mike Dunn pulled Nicholson aside.
“I said, ‘Don’t settle for your shot, make your moves,’” Dunn said. “‘He’s very good with the basketball. He really knows the game.”
Nicholson began to penetrate more and, much to the chagrin of Xavier, found his shot, too. The 5-foot-9 guard had the final seven Farrell points of the third quarter and had the 3-pointer in the fourth that put the Lions up for good in a 52-49 win Tuesday night in the CHSAA Class A boys basketball intersectional second round at Cardinal Spellman in The Bronx.
“My teammates know when I’m hot, get me the ball and I’ll knock it down,” Nicholson said. “They trust me and that’s good to know.”
A 3-pointer that put Farrell (14-12) up 31-27 got him going with 2:40 in the third quarter. After Eddie Sullivan scored on the other end for Xavier (11-13), the right-handed Nicholson finished a pretty left-handed scoop layup and put in a one-handed floater to finish the third with his team up 35-29.
After four straight free throws by Xavier in the fourth that tied the game, Nicholson drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give Farrell a 45-42 lead it would not relinquish.
“He’s a sophomore on varsity for a reason,” speedy senior guard Joseph Busacca said. “We’ve been looking for him to step up. The city playoffs, the biggest stage he’s finally stepping up. We all trusted him all year. He’s finding his shots now. It’s big for us.”
Xavier didn’t die, though. Brendan Ferguson got the Knights within 45-44 with 2:10 left, but Steven Diaz’s 3-pointer with 1:23 to go put the Lions up 48-44. Still, Xavier had a chance in an endgame that had Dunn feeling déjà vu from an overtime holiday loss to Cardinal McCarrick (N.J.) in which his team led by four with 40 seconds remaining in regulation.
Ferguson made another big shot, a 3-pointer that made it a one-possession game, 52-49, with 9.1 seconds left. Despite the Xavier press, Farrell got the ball in and Busacca was fouled. The senior, who was 9-of-10 from the line to that point, missed both shots to leave the door open for the Knights.
Ferguson got a decent look as time expired, but his potentially game-tying 3-pointer from the left corner hit the front of the rim as the horn sounded.
“I looked at [my assistant] coach and said, ‘Oh boy, here we go,’” Dunn said. “But our guys learned. They have confidence in each other.”
Busacca finished with 14 points, Nicholson had all 10 of his points in the second half and Diaz added seven. Eddie Sullivan came up big for Xavier with 20 points, Ferguson had 15 points and Matt Crockett chipped in nine.
Farrell, which is playing without 6-foot-7 starting center Tommy Delahanty (ankle), now meets Hayes in the quarterfinals Saturday at Mount St. Michael. The Cardinals beat the Lions, 77-63, on Dec. 17, but Dunn feels like his kids have grown exponentially since then.
“We’re a much better team,” the coach said. “I think we’re gonna come and play. Whatever happens happens. As long as my guys leave it all on the court, I’m good with it.”
Busacca said this victory gives Farrell a big-time boost.
“We have a bunch of confidence now,” he said. “All our players are stepping up. As long as we keep hitting shots, which we probably will, we’ll be fine.”
