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By Joseph Staszewski
Brooklyn Daily
Bishop Loughlin missed a lot of shots and a big opportunity last Sunday.
The cold-shooting Lions fell 67–49 to rival Christ the King in Catholic Brooklyn-Queens Class AA boys’ basketball in Middle Village. A victory would have allowed Loughlin to claim the division title out right. Now the best it can hope for is a tie with the Royals and a coin flip to decide the top-seed in the upcoming diocesan tournament.
“We came so close to breaking out as No. 1,” said Seton Hall-bound guard Khadeen Carrington. “Now we kind of stepped back a little bit.”
Javian Delacruz was the only Loughlin player to reach double figures, with 11 points. Carrington had nine and Rutgers-bound guard Mike Williams added just two.
Christ the King center Adonis Delarosa tallied 20 of his 23 points in the second half. Travis Atson had 17 points and Rawle Alkins added 16.
Lions coach Ed Gonzalez gave props to the Royals (18–5, 14–3) but blamed the loss on his own team’s play.
“We had a little run and we let up a little bit,” Lions coach Ed Gonzalez said. “[Christ the King] played well, but we didn’t make shots.”
Loughlin (18–5, 13–3) finally surged forward in the third quarter after trailing 27–18. Royals turnovers allowed the Lions to speed up the pace of the game and rip off a 8–0 run to get within 31–28 with 3:10 left to go in the third.
The Lions got as close as 43–42 early in the fourth after treys from Issak Bodon and Delacruz, and a Williams free throw. Loughlin began settling for quick three-pointers, and Christ the King’s Delarosa went on a decisive 16–2 run.
“When we got it down we should have been a little more patient,” Gonzalez said. “We rushed our shots.”
This was Delarosa’s first game back from a two-game suspension after being ejected for a flagrant foul on Williams in the team’s last meeting in Fort Green on Jan. 31. Loughlin won the game, but saw Williams leave the contest in the third quarter with a cut on the back of his head that required two staples. Delarosa returned with a vengeance.
“That’s the best I’ve seen him play,” Carrington said. “He came to play. We didn’t come to play.”