Cardozo’s Ryan Rhoomes (r.) is blocked by Rice’s Shane Southwell. (Damion Reid)
The entire Cardozo basketball team stood next to one another at center court at Long Island University’s Wellness Center, one more troubled than the next.
The Judges had just blown a 19-point lead to Rice late in the third quarter in the SNY Invitational final and fell, 63-58, in overtime. Instead of heading to the locker room, they had to wait for the trophy celebration, to watch the Raiders holding what could’ve been theirs, posing for pictures and jumping on top of one another.
“It’s pain we felt before,” senior guard Reynaldo (Junior) Walters said.
He was referring to Cardozo’s recent league losses to Thomas Edison and Martin Van Buren, but also the setbacks to Catholic powers Christ the King and Bishop Loughlin, defeats by a combined five points. In each instance, the Judges were right there at the end, only to crumble in some way.
“How many times can a team work so hard and get crushed?” Cardozo coach Ron Naclerio whispered in the Judges’ quiet locker room. “Each one gets progressively more agonizing.”
It was all Cardozo (12-7) most of the way, the Judges jumping out to leads of 14-4, 20-8, 33-24 and, the final indignity, 45-26. After Ryan Rhoomes’ layup capped a 10-0 run, the Queens powerhouse was in complete control.
Rhoomes and Dwayne Brunson (18 points, 12 rebounds) had neutralized Rice standout Kadeem Jack (19 points, 10 rebounds), the Raiders were mightily struggling on offense, and have trouble with the versatile Judges on the other end. Then Rice coach Mo Hicks slapped on a full court press.
Cardozo folded like an accordion from that point on. They committed nine turnovers in the fourth quarter and overtime – and 22 for the game – including four in a row at one point. Just getting the ball past half court felt like an accomplishment, the Raiders’ length and quickness finally wearing them down.
“We prepared for it, but unfortunately you can’t prepare for it until it happens,” Naclerio said. “Some of if was they forced us [into bad decisions} and we got nervous.”
It began late in the third quarter, in a 10-2 run to close the stanza that included a Shane Southwell steal and dunk. Rice’s pressure only intensified when the fourth began, to the tune of a 14-4 run. Instead of attacking, the Judges tried to dribble through and around waves of defenders. When they did break it, they weren’t aggressive, looking to eat clock instead of adding onto the lead.
“You hear so much about Rice’s press, and once it starts to effect you, it [snowballs],” Naclerio said.
The loss, however painful, doesn’t effect Cardozo’s chances in Queens AA. It can still win the division with wins this week over Flushing, Bayside and rival Forest Hills before the borough playoffs begin.
As Walters, the Norfolk State-bound guard stated, the Judges weren’t outclassed. They had the city’s top team, a club ranked 16th in the nation by USA Today, on its heels, about to get run out of the building.
“It’s always us when we lose,” Walters said. “It’s another loss we got to overcome and learn from.”