“If this is the worst thing that ever happens to these kids, they’ll have a good life,” said the head coach of the Christ the King girls’ basketball team.
The Royals, the fifth-ranked…
By Anthony Bosco
There were tears to be sure, but Bob Mackey put it in perspective.
“If this is the worst thing that ever happens to these kids, they’ll have a good life,” said the head coach of the Christ the King girls’ basketball team.
The Royals, the fifth-ranked team in the nation, lost to PSAL champ Murry Bergtraum, 67-59, in the semifinals of the state Federation Class A tournament Friday in Glens Falls.
For 11 years, Christ the King reigned supreme over the tournament, winning all 11 titles. But the string was broken this weekend, prompting a flow of emotion in the team locker room after the game.
“It was hard,” said Mackey. “They handled themselves very well right after the game, but it was very somber in the locker room. We tried to put it behind us and move on with things.”
They were in it until the end, within four with 1:35 left to play when Bergtraum’s Cindy Johnson nailed a hook-shot three with two seconds remaining on the shot clock to push the lead to seven. At that moment, Mackey said he saw the wind die right out of his team’s sails.
“She couldn’t hit that shot again if I put $1,000 on the floor,” Mackey said. “But she hit it and that’s the way the game is played.”
The game was nip-and-tuck throughout, with Christ the King leading 31-27 at the break and 44-43 heading into the fourth. That’s when Bergtraum, which had defeated Francis Lewis for the PSAL title at Madison Square Garden the week before, swung the momentum in its favor.
Gonzalez converted a three-point play two minutes into the fourth to give her team the lead it would never again relinquish.
“We didn’t really play a great game,” Mackey said. “We took some bad shots at inopportune moments and Murry Bergtraum just hung on.”
CK was also handicapped by a heavy whistle by the officials against them. The Royals had 14 fouls called on them in the first half, with Bergtraum going to the line 22 times before halftime. In total, Bergtraum went to the line 37 times, one short of double of CK 19 trips.
But Mackey did not want to use that as an excuse for his team’s defeat.
“We should have been better than that,” he said. “You can’t worry about that stuff. You get used to the whistle not going your way. Neither one of the referees scored.”
Clare Droesch was the main reason Christ the King was leading for most of the game. The Boston College-bound senior, who missed several games late in the year because of a school suspension, scored 19 points in the first half en route to 31 for the game. The all-tournament team selection also contributed seven rebounds, four steals, two assists and a block.
No other Christ the King player scored more than five points.
“We knew what we had to do,” Mackey said. “We really didn’t execute the way we should have. This year’s just not mean to be.”
Gonzalez and Crystal McFadden led Bergtraum with 22 points apiece.
Christ the King ended the season with a record of 27-2, while seniors Jennifer Dawson Melanie Mangone, Christine Catalonotto and Jamie Hoffmeister ended their high school careers with a loss.
“I would have really like to see these kids go out on top,” Mackey said.
Reach Sports Editor Anthony Bosco by e-mail at TimesLedgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 130.
