It was loud. It was dramatic. It was exactly the kind of moment Keith Williams dreams about.
The Bishop Loughlin senior guard sank three free throws after he was fouled just before the final buzzer in regulation, lifting the Lions to a 98–90 double overtime victory over Christ the King in the Brooklyn-Queens Catholic High School Athletic Association semifinal on Feb. 22.
There was plenty of drama even after Williams’s moment at the line, but the Cincinnati commit’s clutch shots were the highlight of the postseason tilt, a quintessential senior moment that could define the star’s entire season.
“The first two were good, but then [before] the last one the gym just kept getting louder and louder,” said Williams, who finished with a game-high 36 points. “And I was just, like, ‘You cannot miss, Keith.’ It touched the rim first and when it dropped, it was just a big weight off my back.”
Loughlin struggled down the stretch in regulation, failing to connect on a shot for nearly four minutes before Williams drained a jumper with 19.5 seconds left. Christ the King took a three-point lead with 6.8 seconds left, but Jose Alvarado missed the back-end of the one-and-one, keeping the Lions in the game.
Loughlin nearly turned the ball over on its final possession, but the Lions were able to inbound and Williams drew the foul — Alvarado’s fifth — just before the buzzer. The senior knew he could hit the shots — he even told his coach.
“He just came to me and told me, when we were down three, and said, ‘Coach, I got you,’” said Loughlin coach Edwin Gonzalez. “I looked at him and said we’ve been down this road before. I said ‘do not let me down.’ And sure enough, he delivered.”
Christ the King played without Alvarado in overtime, but the Royals refused to back down and the squad answered each of Loughlin’s shots with one of its own.
Williams thought he wrapped up the win again — going 2-for-2 from the line with 9.1 seconds left — but Christ the King responded with a two-handed dunk by Kofi Cockburn, who found an open space in the lane and forced a second overtime.
“They’re players, that’s why they’re on this team,” Gonzalez said. “They’re on this team because [Royals coach Joe Arbitello] knows what he’s doing.”
Williams continued his strong play in the second overtime, and Markquis Nowell gave Loughlin an 85–79 lead with 2:39 on the clock. The Royals, however, battled back to make it a two-point game just over a minute later when Philips Joseph drained his third trey of the night.
Still, Loughlin refused to ever doubt. The Lions were determined to walk off the court with a win. There was no other option.
“We were confident the whole game,” said Nowell who racked up 20 points and 17 assists. “We always play hard no matter what time is on the clock or what’s the score.”
Justin Champagnie answered Joseph’s three-pointer with one of his own and drained the ensuing free throw and Loughlin, collectively, breathed just a bit easier. Nowell wrapped up the win at the line, going a perfect 8-for-8 in the final 48 seconds.
“He didn’t have a good shooting night tonight, but he ran the team,” Gonzalez said. “That’s all I can ask for.”
The victory sends Loughlin to the Brooklyn-Queens championship game on Feb. 24, taking on top-seeded Archbishop Molloy. The season is far from over, but the Lions are feeling pretty good after this one, certain they handle just about any situation.
“Right now, this means a lot,” Williams said. “The emotion is just relief.”
