Binghamton, N.Y. — It was a never-ending tidal wave, like a storm that wouldn’t stop, thunder, lighting and snow mixed into one.
Christ the King got on a run early in the quarter, got out in transition and made shot after shot, and St. Rita (Ill.), the Royals’ opening-round opponent in the STOP-DWI Holiday Classic Wednesday night, could do nothing but absorb the punishment.
When the rapid 22-3 onslaught during the third quarter was over, CK’s shaky start was a distant memory and the Royals’ eventual 81-67 victory was a mere formality.
“We started to get the game up and down and we played with intensity and urgency,” CK coach Joe Arbitello said. “Once we start playing like that, this team can be fun to watch.”
Senior Omar Calhoun said: “It was basically our defense. We had to lock them down. Offense is gonna come. We gave them different looks to stop them.”
It was a mixture of 3-pointers, easy baskets in transition set up by steals, and strong finishes in the paint. Best of all, several Royals had a hand in the flurry.
Jon Severe started and ended the devastation with 3-pointers and had 11 of his 21 points during the run. Calhoun (game-high 31 points) had seven points and Isaiah Lewis (11 points, five assists) had four and two key assists, including a highlight-reel feed to Calhoun for a traditional 3-point play.
“When we play together,” said Severe, who added 10 rebounds, “we can’t be stopped.”
Tony Hicks, a Penn recruit, had 26 points to lead St. Rita (5-4), which is led by former St. Raymond coach Gary DeCesare, and Charles Matthews added 17.
Severe, a junior guard, was integral in the Royals remaining close despite a sloppy first half of missed shots and missed defensive assignments. He had 10 at halftime as Christ the King trailed just 33-30. That continued into the big run, when he made three 3-pointers. His last one, to make it 53-40 late in the third quarter, came in transition with a hand in his face to no avail.
“I got my touch,” Severe said. “I knew I was going to make it. If you’re confident, shoot the ball. I had confidence. … I’m a shooter. I made one, I made two, why not shoot another one?”
St. Rita got as close as seven early in the fourth quarter, but could never get closer even with CK forward Jordan Fuchs fouling out at that point. That’s because sophomores Thomas Holley and Adonis DeLaRosa did a fine job ins his stead and Calhoun answered with five straight points, two free throws and a deep 3-pointer from the top of the key that nearly scraped the ceiling, and Lewis added back-to-back baskets to make it 66-50 with 3:53 remaining.
Whether the Royals slow start was the result of 10 days off or the long bus ride up that cost them a day of practice, they got it together just in time to setup an all-NYC semifinal with Wings Academy Thursday at 5:45 p.m.
“We needed a game to get our feet wet,” Calhoun said. “This was a warm-up game basically. We should be fine from here.”