Nazareth limped into the state tournament, losing in the CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens semifinals to Christ the King. A week earlier, the Lady Kingsmen fell to Bishop Ford.
But there was never any worrying in East Flatbush.
“Absolutely not,” junior guard Sadie Edwards said. “Not in our gym. Not from our coaches. We were still confident.”
Nazareth backed it up last night with a 52-47 win over Christ the King in the CHSAA Class AA girls basketball state semifinals at Archbishop Molloy in Queens. The Lady Kingsmen are one victory away from heading to Albany for the New York State Federation tournament. Moore Catholic stands in their way 7 p.m. Saturday at Christ the King in the Catholic state final.
“We’re always confident,” Naz co-coach Lauren Best said. “When we play well, when we stick together, we know what kind of basketball we can play.”
McDonald’s All-American guard Brianna Butler had 16 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists to lead Nazareth (17-3). Butler, in her second game back from a knee injury, estimated she was at “75 to 80 percent,” though she fought through some pain. An MRI, she said, turned up that nothing was torn.
“She settles them down,” CK coch Bob Mackey said. “She steadies the team.”
Butler first injured it in the Ford game and didn’t play against Christ the King the last two times, including the Brooklyn/Queens semifinal loss.
“I was sitting there thinking, I wish I could play,” she said. “It was kind of hard. I wanted to come back and made a statement today.”
Added Best: “Her value is immeasurable. I’m proud of her. She’s playing through a lot of pain right now. A lot of people wouldn’t do that. Some pros wouldn’t do that.”
Bianca Cuevas had 13 points and Edwards added 10 for Naz. It wasn’t the prettiest of games. Christ the King (15-14) was down 43-25 with 1:24 left in the third quarter before rallying. UPenn-bound guard Rayne Connell got the Royals within 52-47 with 12.2 seconds left. But it was too late.
Kollyns Scarbrough and Connell each had 11 and Sierra Calhoun added 10 for the Royals, who won their 26th Brooklyn/Queens title in the last 28 years last week.
The Lady Kingsmen have been through enough tragedy this season for a lifetime. Iconic coach Apache Paschall died in January of cardiac arrest. Almost a month to the day later, it was announced Nazareth would be closing its doors for good in June. Though the fight to save the school continues, the underclassmen have no idea where they’ll be going next year.
Through all that, Naz is still trying to win a second straight Federation title.
“That was Apache’s goal for us,” Edwards said.
Which is why there was never any wavering by the Lady Kingsmen when they lost those games.
“I’d rather lose then,” Edwards said, “than lose now.”
Beating red-hot Moore Catholic will not be an easy task. The Mavericks were dominant at times Friday night against Archbishop Molloy. A trip upstate is close, though – within striking distance – and the Lady Kingsmen can feel it.
“We got our hands full,” Best said. “But if we play Nazareth basketball, we’ll be fine.”