Bishop Loughlin put its depth and athleticism on display as it began its quest for a city title
The Lions wore down Iona Prep in a 78–58 victory in the Catholic Class AA boys’ basketball quarterfinals last Sunday at Fordham University.
“I think if you get those guys tired, their legs will go eventually, and they would stop making shots,” Loughlin coach Ed Gonzalez said.
The Lions players were able to use their skill and endurance to break the game open in the third quarter. Seton Hall-bound senior guard Khadeen Carrington, who had 22 points overall, scored 12 out of Loughlin’s 14–2 run — including the slam that launched the spurt to put his team ahead 54–32.
“The dunk got me going,” Carrington said. “I started feeling it from there. I hit a couple of threes — once I started going everyone else started going.”
Gonzalez said when Carrington is playing well, his team is at its best.
“When he feels it, the guys look for him and he is in his comfort zone,” he said. “He knows he is going to be keyed up on and he looks for everyone else and we become that much more effective.
Iona (14–14) relied on its sharp shooters to stay in the game early. The Gaels trailed just 16–13 at the end of one quarter. Junior Tom Capuano scored 22 points and sophomore Ty Jerome chipped in 16.
Loughlin senior Javian Delacruz, who scored 15 of his game-high 24 points in the first half, led the Lions offense in the early stages of the game. He was able to match the Iona shooters, allowing Loughlin (22–5) to go up by as many as 15 points, and take a 32–20 lead into the half.
“They say I am the X factor,” Delacuz said. “When I score, we do better. When I score it makes it easier for the team. I came out with a lot of energy.”
From there the skilled Loughlin team was too much for the Gaels. The next obstacle between the Brooklyn-Queens champion Lions and the city title is St. Peters, the archdiocesan runner-up, in the semifinals on March 6. Gonzalez said the key for his squad is to execute and play its brand of basketball.
“We have seen St. Peters,” Gonzalez said. “They are tough they have very good guards that can shoot. It is going to be a good game. We just need to defend and go to the glass and they play man to man so we have to execute our stuff.”
