St. Francis Prep got within three, Brian Bernardi popped a 3-pointer. The Terriers were within five, Bernardi made three free throws. They were down eight, Bernardi pumped in another trey.
Every time St. Francis Prep got within striking distance of Xaverian, Bernardi, the SMU-bound sharpshooter, broke the Terriers heart.
Third-seeded Xaverian ended up holding on for a 62-51 win over No. 6 St. Francis Prep in the CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens quarterfinals Monday night at Xaverian HS in Bay Ridge. Bernardi finished with 20 points, 18 of which came in the second half at key moments. The Clippers meet No. 2 Holy Cross in the semifinals 6 p.m. Wednesday night at St. Francis Prep.
“He’s unflappable,” Xaverian coach Jack Alesi said. “You can’t tell with Brian if he’s having a good game or bad game. As well as any player I’ve ever coached, he moves on to the next shot. He’s got complete freedom in shot selection. I think the last player I ever gave that freedom to, I don’t know. I was gonna say [Chris] Mullin, but I don’t want to go there with that.”
SFP (8-17) hung in right to the end, though, showing dogged fight. Michael Fields had 16 points and Gabe Gonzales added 11 points. James Chavis muscled in a three-point play and Gonzales followed with a 3-pointer to cut the Terriers’ deficit to 39-36 with 1:12 left in the third quarter.
“Those kids are just willing to do things the right way,” Alesi said of the Terriers. “If you evaluate St. Francis by the record, you’re not getting it. I admire what they do. I admire how they play the right way. This is not [coach Tim] Leary’s first rodeo. He knows how to get teams ready.”
St. Francis Prep will be the Brooklyn/Queens No. 6 seed in the intersectional playoffs and meet Archdiocesan No. 7 Monsignor Farrell in the first round Sunday at Holy Cross.
Bernardi was extremely complimentary to SFP afterward, but he was much harder on the Terriers during the game. When Prep was within 39-36, he drained a 3-pointer and then finished the third quarter with three free throws after being fouled shooting from beyond the arc. Bernardi drained three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, all ending small St. Francis spurts.
“I want to take those shots,” Bernardi said. “I want the big shots. I want to help my team win the game.”
C.W. Post-bound point guard Dillon Burns had 13 points and George Lambert added 10 for Xaverian (17-8). The Clippers haven’t had trouble making shots this year; it’s been on the other end of the floor where they have scuffled at times. Defense, Alesi said, will be the key the rest of the postseason.
“We were just very tight defensively,” the coach said of Monday’s game. “We weren’t making plays. That’s why they kept coming back. It’s like the trampoline thing, we’d go up 11 and they’d get within five.”
And then Bernardi would crush their hopes time after time.
