By Joseph Staszewski
The run and the spark came too late for a Christ the King team that has been resilient all season.
“They never folded,” Coach Bob Mackey said. “They didn’t quit tonight.”
The Royals cut an 18-point third quarter deficit to 10 late in the fourth and got as close as five with just seconds remaining in an eventual 52-47 loss to rival and nationally ranked Nazareth in the CHSAA Class AA girls’ basketball semifinals Friday at Archbishop Molloy.
“It did come too late,” UPenn-bound guard Rayne Connell said. “The worst part about it is we had it. We had it in our hands.”
Turnovers (29) and missed layups (eight) doomed CK. Mackey said Nazareth kept sending fresh and long bodies at sophomore star Sierra Calhoun and limited her to just 10 points. Kollyns Scarbrough and Connell each chipped in 11. Christ the King (15-14) had a chance to get back into the game earlier, down just 29-20, after a Taylor Butigian layup with 6:28 remaining in the third quarter and Nazareth point guard Darius Faulk on the bench. Instead the Lady Kingmen (17-5) scored the next six points and jumped ahead 35-20.
“Three less turnovers and it’s a ball game,” Mackey said. “It was a ball game.”
What Connell was most proud of was that she and her team didn’t let the game turn into a 30-point blowout. Mackey found a spark in reserve guard Erica Eddy late in the third quarter and Amanni Fernandez also provided energy off the bench.
Fighting back has been a theme this season after CK began the year 0-6 against five nationally ranked teams, lost five league games — including a third-place tie breaker to Molloy — and finished the regular season 12-12.
The Royals, who own a win over nationally ranked Cicero-North Syracuse, beat Nazareth just a week ago in the Brooklyn/Queens semifinals en route to their 26th CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens title in the last 28 years. That win, which earned them a first-round bye in this tournament, came with the Lady Kingsmen missing McDonald’s All-American Brianna Butler, out with a knee injury. She had 16 points, 11 boards and seven rebounds on this night.
“She’s a tough matchup for her size,” Mackey said of Butler. “She settles them down.”
Christ the King losses Connell, Adelphi-bound guard Lauren Nuss and reserve guard Ashley Raaf for next season. Mackey talked all postseason how his talented sophomores grew up. More will be expected starting next November.
“With the loss of the seniors, I still think they can take this,” Connell said. “They have a lot of talent. They just have to work hard.”
