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By Mike Morton
Brooklyn Daily
Bishop Loughlin head coach Ed Gonzalez consoled junior Khadeen Carrington outside the locker room following the Lions’ 78–63 loss to Christ the King in the Catholic High School Athletic Association Class AA boys basketball final on Saturday afternoon at Fordham University.
Gonzalez held his emotional star and told him how proud he was of him. He told him he would have another chance next year. But that wasn’t enough to ease the pain felt by Carrington following the loss.
“It’s going to help us a lot,” Carrington said. “We’re going to remember this feeling. It’s a nasty feeling.”
The Lions trailed by just two points in the closing seconds of the third quarter, but things went downhill from there. Isaiah Cosbert of Christ the King nailed a buzzer beater from just inside the half court line to end the frame, which sparked a 17–3 run for the Royals, effectively ending any dreams the Lions had of winning the school’s first championship since 1992. Loughlin didn’t have the same shooting success.
“A lot of shots weren’t falling for us in the fourth quarter,” Carrington said. “I think that was it.”
Loughlin struggled throughout the fourth quarter, losing the deciding frame 24–14. Junior Mike Williams tried to do everything he could, scoring seven of his 23 points in the quarter, while also coming up with numerous steals.
“We didn’t play our best brand of basketball in the best time,” Gonzalez said. “Our shots didn’t fall, which is unfortunate. But it doesn’t measure who we are. We’ll bounce back. It hurts now, but we’ll bounce back.”
The Lions (21–8) struggled to handle Christ the King star Jon Severe, who scored 19 points for the Royals (26–3) and was named the game most valuable player. Jordan Fuchs added 17 points for the Royals.
Loughlin has now lost to the Royals four times this season, including a defeat in the diocesan championship. The Lions’ shortcomings against Christ the King did not influence the pride Gonzalez has for his team.
“I’m very proud of those kids,” he said. “They fought, and worked hard. It’s a team that was a pleasure coaching. These guys come to work hard everyday. We just came up a little short.”