Here’s my game story on New Rochelle’s loss in tonight’s Class AA state championship game in Glens Falls:
GLENS FALLS — Joe Clarke can score from just about any angle. At his height, it generally means his shots near the rim sail over, around or through the hands of taller, longer defenders.
In Sunday’s Class AA state championship, the 6-foot-3 Clarke and his New Rochelle teammates were forced to be more creative than ever. Bishop Kearney, the rising Catholic school power out of Rochester in Section 5, featured a front line that would make Jim Boeheim shudder.
“Every time he jumped, I was just trying to get it up higher and higher so he wouldn’t block it,” Clarke said. “Every time I threw it up higher, he kept getting it. He changed most of my shots.”
Six-foot-10 Syracuse-bound senior Chinonso Obokoh blocked eight altogether and 6-9 sophomore Thomas Bryant swatted another four. That duo flummoxed a New Rochelle team that faced a tall task just to get here. This one was taller still, and it ended the Huguenots’ magical season 45-39 in the state final at the Glens Falls Civic Center.
Bryant, one of the nation’s top sophomore recruits, finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds to earn tournament MVP honors. Obokoh scored just four, but his 13 rebounds and shot blocking unquestionably altered the outcome.
“They had more than one. Most teams have one solid guy. They had three or four,” said New Rochelle senior Khalil Edney, who was held scoreless but grabbed 10 rebounds. “They did a great job rotating them in and keeping them fresh.”
With Obokoh, Byrant and 6-11 junior Godspower Ogide, Bishop Kearney (17-7) had that luxury. Their size left the Huguenots disheartened as they trailed 29-18 entering halftime.
“A lot of us thought we couldn’t hang with these guys because they had 6-9, 6-10 kids,” said Clarke, who finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds on 9-of-24 shooting. “But at halftime, the coaches told us, they bleed like we bleed. We just had to go out and play hard.”
The fearless Clarke helped slice the deficit to 34-31 at the end of three quarters, but, yet again, his team couldn’t keep pace. And that wasn’t the only problem with its diminished returns on offense.
“We forced a couple of turnovers, but we didn’t score enough to get into the press,” New Rochelle coach Rasaun Young said.
It remained a two-possession game for much of the fourth quarter. In addition to shooting 14 for 59 (23.7 percent) from the field, the Huguenots (16-10) went 1 for 9 on 3-pointers. Junior Derek Dorn hit one to make the score 3-2. They didn’t score from beyond the arc — or lead the game — again.
“Since we always come back, I was thinking to myself, ‘Yeah, we have this game,’” senior Terrence Holden said. “I still thought we had it, even when we were down by more than three. We just didn’t come through.”
New Rochelle delivered throughout the postseason despite starting the season 2-6 and 8-9 before reeling off an eight-game winning streak before Sunday under Young, the first-year coach. The team’s near-historic run seemed destined for another comeback, one that would’ve made New Rochelle the first school from the largest classification to hold football and basketball state titles.
“We had been here before in that position. Guys were just fighting,” Young said. “Joe put the team on his back again. He did the best he could, but those guys were just so long and blocking shots. It was tough.”
Photos by Seth Harrison/The Journal News. For a complete gallery, click here.
10 Comments
TREES WHERE TO TALL;
HOLD YOUR HEADS HIGHER,YOU FOUGHT LIKE MEN,UNTIL THE END,PLENTY OF HEART IN NEW RO
Congrats to New Ro On a fine and entertaining season! You lost to a school that you should have played in the Federation game. When is this hypocrisy of a recruiting Catholic school, playing in a public HS tournament, going to end???
New Ro gave their all – Kearney was really good. It is really hard to get excited about a private school winning the public championship though…
I wish I heard this the outrage when Kennedy Catholic for years spoiled the Class B section 1 baseball and basketball championships. Albertus and Lourdes need to go also. Let them schedule regular season games v the publics but make them ineligible for post season play …...They can bus it to the Catholic playoffs. That is not asking too much.
What a great and historic run they made, congrats to everyone from New Ro
All this outrage about Bishop Kearney being a Catholic school playing in the NYSPHSAA is Sour Grapes. Mt Vernon beat Aquinas Institute for the NYSPHSAA last year. They had a Notre Dame football recruit who was huge. Mt Vernon beat Bishop Kearney earlier this year as well. So beating the privates that play in the NYSPHSAA Can Be Done.
Going into the season, teams know they will have to face private schools in the NYSPHSAA. Simply put, “it is what it is” stop complaining about it. Bishop Kearney won. When you shoot 23.7% from the field you should lose. New Rochelle was lucky it wasn’t by a larger margin. Last fact, Kearney is a C size school that played in AA & played the 2 time Back to Back NYSPHSAA Champions, Mt Vernon. Bishop Kearney prepared to win the NYSPHSAA from the outset & accomplished their mission. That’s what happened, stop complaining & making excuses. “It is what it is”
I’m not from New Ro and not making excuses for them!
You possibly can have out of state kids on some of these non public school teams competing in and winning NY State championships!! By the way your correct about Mt Vernon’s victories! However, there is one team they didn’t beat this year when they needed to.
You’re right. They didn’t win because of a MIRACLE Shot & lost by a point in a controversial loss, But in Jan. Mt Vernon beat new rochelle by 18 & in Feb. they beat them by 13. Again, it is what it is. They didn’t get a crack at Bishop Kearney for their 3rd straight NYSPHSAA championship. I’m glad Mt Vernon beat the runner-up decidedly twice & the NYSPHSAA by 10 points earlier. Sometimes teams lose that shouldn’t lose & that’s what happened. That’s what made the miracle shot so newsworthy. A 9 loss team that had been beaten badly twice during the season by a perennial powerhouse goes on a miracle run & loses to a team Mt Vernon beat by 10 earlier. The story’s miraculous. And it’s over. Next Year Mt Vernon will be back at it knowing Bishop Kearney, Aquinas, Etc are all part if the journey. That’s what makes them winning year in & year out so MIRACULOUS
What a Shame,
This is not about Mount Vernon. This is about New Ro and the great ride they took everyone on. Let’s leave next year to next year.
Congrats to Crabby & Co. Your New Rochelle team represented Westchester extremely well. When you beat “The Vern” at the County Center the way you beat them, everyone thought your season would shortly be over – including me.
But, your team went on a ride for the ages and everyone on Westchester, regardless of who they cheer for, should be proud of you guys. Great job!