Sports

CHSAA Class AA boys basketball final preview

NYPost.com’s CHSAA boys basketball beat writer Marc Raimondi breaks down the Class AA championship game between St. Raymond and Holy Cross, set for 3 p.m. Sunday at Fordham University in The Bronx. For the live blog, click here.

St. Raymond Ravens

Head coach: Oliver Antigua

Record: 20-9

Player to watch: Larry Graves

Holy Cross Knights

Head coach: Paul Gilvary

Record: 24-4

Player to watch: Will Davis

Outlook: St. Raymond was an afterthought. The Ravens lost to Mount St. Michael, Cardinal Hayes and then Archbishop Stepinac – three straight discouraging losses. People were telling coach Oliver Antigua that his team had underachieved as much as any in the city.

That was January. Now we’re in March and St. Ray’s is one win away from earning its first CHSAA Class AA intersectional championship since 2004. The Ravens have gotten contributions in the postseason from Temple-bound Daniel Dingle, Iowa State-bound Kerwin Okoro, Larry Graves and Shane Rector. There has been a different hero almost every night with Dingle stealing the show repeatedly.

A victory, Antigua feels, would be fitting, because of what happened two years ago. In a span of two seasons, St. Ray’s lost six players to transfers. Stars and regulars all left in a mass exodus. Dingle and Okoro stayed and became the faces of his program – with the hope that one day they could lead the Ravens to a city title.

That day could be Sunday. But Holy Cross has a little something to say about that. The Knights are the most balanced, unselfish team in New York City. Marquise Moore has donned a Superman cape at times during this postseason, but Cross doesn’t have a superstar – and might not even have a Division I player. Coach Paul Gilvary has done an outstanding job getting the players to buy into his system and the Knights have been wildly successful moving the ball, getting open shots and playing stifling defense.

The last time Holy Cross won the whole thing, back in 2008, it was a vastly different team. Sylven Landesberg, who went to Virginia, put the Knights on his back, willing them past Rice in the semifinals and then Christ the King in the championship game. This team doesn’t have that high major, McDonald’s All-American type player and has thrived anyway.

Since December, Holy Cross has lost exactly two games – both to Christ the King. That’s 16 victories in its last 18 contests. The Knights have beaten everyone in the CHSAA besides Christ the King, Cardinal Hayes and St. Raymond, but they didn’t play the Ravens.

Until now, that is.

The hottest team in the city will go head to head with the most consistent team in the city Sunday afternoon at Fordham University. In the postseason, both have been adept at pulling out close games. There’s no reason to expect anything less in the championship game.

mraimondi@nypost.com