NEWARK, N.J. – Joe Arbitello has seen his team bounce back from difficult losses all year. They did it after a shocking defeat at Molloy and again in a semifinal loss to nationally-ranked Milton (Ga.) in the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions.
But nothing compares to what he saw at Prudential Center on Saturday afternoon as, less than 24 hours after a home loss to rival Bishop Loughlin, Christ the King defeated St. Peter’s Prep (N.J.), 75-72, in overtime at the Newark National Invitational.
“We’ve done this all year where we’ve lost games and then beaten teams, but we’ve never beaten a team of their magnitude,” the Royals coach said. “They’re good, they’re really good. That’s a big-time player in Myles Davis. He can really flat out shoot it and get to the basket. It’s a huge win to make sure that we got back on track after losing to Loughlin yesterday.”
Against a Marauders team ranked fourth in New Jersey by the Star-Ledger, the Royals rallied from 11 points down in the third quarter and nearly blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter before eventually winning in overtime.
“Who would expect us from down 11 in the third quarter to win like that?” asked CK point guard Corey Edwards. “Losing to Loughlin yesterday, we could have come out here with our heads down and not ready to play.”
Edwards struggled from the field, shooting 1-of-12, but made up for it by getting to the foul line. He was 12-of-17, including 5-of-8 in overtime, constantly beating his man off the dribble. Edwards also had six assists, three steals and one turnover in 35 minutes.
“That was the play,” Arbitello said. “I’m a big believer in if something works, keep going to it. I thought that’s where we had the advantage tonight.”
Omar Calhoun led the Royals resurgence in the third quarter, scoring 11 of his team’s 28 points after Christ the King only managed 23 points in the first half.
“I was being aggressive, looking to score,” Calhoun said. “The guards did a great job getting me the ball. They kept screening for me, getting me open.”
Maurice Barrow again quietly excelled for Christ the King (13-4), finishing with 19 points and seven boards, drawing a huge charge in overtime.
“Sometimes he does things I can’t even imagine,” Arbitello said. “He gets high above that rim and he comes up with some buckets. He never gets high, he never gets low. He’s just Mo.”
Davis, a sensational junior guard, scored a game-high 31 points and paced his team to an 11-point lead early in the third quarter. T.J. Curry seemed to slow Davis in the second quarter and helped his team get out in transition. CK went on a 24-8 run that extended into the fourth quarter and led 57-47 with 6:48 left.
The Marauders (12-3) wouldn’t go away, tying the game at 65 on a pair of free throws by St. John’s recruit Ronald Roberts (14 points, 12 rebounds) with 5.8 seconds left to force overtime.
With the Royals leading 73-70, Davis appeared poised to possibly tie the game again. But he was called for a curious carry with 22.3 seconds left, much to the dismay of the home fans.
Curry and Edwards each converted a free throw in the final 15.9 seconds to seal a big Christ the King win.
“We came out to New Jersey, playing a Jersey team that was actually ranked high, coming out with the win was tough,” Calhoun said. “Coming off the loss to Loughlin, we showed great character and came out and won this game.”