Jabarie Hinds of Mount Vernon and Achraf Yacoubou of Long Island Lutheran were named co-Mr. New York Basketball this week, but St. Mary’s (Manhasset) coach Bill Harkins believes there’s another candidate.
“I’m going to go on the record with this, and I mean this, if he’s not one of the top players in New York state, I don’t know who is,” he said. “He brings it every game.”
He was referring to Chavaughn Lewis, who proved his worth yesterday, scoring 30 points to help lead undefeated St. Mary’s to a thrilling 78-70 overtime win against Mount St. Michael in the CHSAA Class A state championship game at Fordham’s Rose Hill Gym.
The Gaels (28-0) advance to the New York State Federation tournament for the second time and will meet the PSAL ‘A’ winner in the semifinals at the Times Union Center in Albany on March 25.
“I didn’t want this to be my last game,” said Lewis, an unsigned senior who is being recruited by several MAAC schools. “I just came out and did what I had to do for my team.”
Led by Peter Aguilar, who also had 30 points, Mount St. Michael (26-2) threatened to put the game out of reach, taking a 57-47 lead with 6:22 left in the fourth quarter.
But Khalif Chaplin (11 points) buried a 3-pointer and Lewis followed with a quick layup, sparking a 14-2 run as the Gaels took a 61-59 lead.
“We just stayed strong and we shot the ball well,” said Lewis, a Jamaica, Queens native. “We take shots all day in practice so we just shot like we did in practice.”
Clarence White (26 points) tied the game at 61 with a pair of free throws and, after two free throws by Agnew, Aguilar tied it at 63 with a tap putback with 2:17 left.
Mount had a chance to win the game in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter, but Anthony Maestre’s 3-pointer was off target and Aguilar wasn’t able to get a shot off before the buzzer.
The game changed 43 seconds into overtime when Aguilar picked up his fifth foul, joining starters Malik Gill and Omari Manhertz on the bench.
“You’re out there with two guys who don’t even play,” Mount coach Tom Fraher said. “I was searching, but it is what it is.”
Wisely, the Gaels pushed the ball inside to Charles McCann, who had 17 points, including the first three points of the extra session and the Gaels would never trail again.
“I think in the overtime the momentum kind of shifted and we made a couple of big shots and that’s the difference,” Harkins said. “I think the guys really stepped up. We could have went away when they went up 10, but our guys are battle-tested, they played a very tough non-league schedule and they never give up. They proved that today.”
When Chaplin beat the buzzer with an emphatic dunk, it put the icing on a dramatic win and ensured the Gaels undefeated season will continue in Albany in two weeks.
“It feels great,” Lewis said. “It’s amazing, especially as a senior. This is amazing.”
While the Gaels are marching on, Mount’s season came to an end on the same court where it cut down the nets a week ago in a stirring Class A intersectional championship win against rival Hayes.
“Outstanding [season], 26-2 and taking St. Mary’s, who hasn’t lost to overtime with a chance to win, in the league that we played and the schedule we played, I couldn’t be prouder of these guys,” Fraher said.
