By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — It started with threes on back-to-back possessions. Less than eight minutes later the Bishop Kearney Kings had turned a deadlocked game into a double-digit lead on their way to a senior night blowout victory.
Nahziah Carter led five in double figures as Bishop Kearney cruised past the McQuaid Jesuits Knights, 94-64 in non-league action at Ed Nietopski Gymnasium Tuesday night.
Carter netted eight of his 24 points in a second quarter when the Kings outscored McQuaid 28-13.
“It was a really good shooting night for us,” Carter said. “Everybody played hard for senior night. We had our confidence. Our fans were into the game. We just went out there after that first quarter like we owned the world, basically.”
Carter combined with fellow senior Sheldon Adams to stagger the Knights with treys on three straight possessions late in the second stanza to turn an eight-point edge into a 17-point bulge.
“We shared the basketball and the kids fed off the energy of the crowd,” Bishop Kearney coach Kevin Goode, Sr. said. “Once shots start going in, they come in bunches. That’s what happened.”
The Kings connected six times from long range in the quarter and 10 for the first half.
“We were just hot. Tyke’r (Harley) was able to spark it,” Adams said of his teammate who drilled a three on the game’s opening possession. “We were just able to get it going.”
The Kings scored on 11 of 18 second-quarter possessions averaging more than a point and half every trip down the floor.
“Just trying to be efficient and not allow McQuaid to get back into the game,” Goode said. “First half we were able to disrupt their shooters.”
BK didn’t let up coming out of the locker room. Adams nailed a three to start the third quarter, and the Kings put the game out of reach when they converted on five straight possessions midway through the stanza.
“We didn’t want to go back to past failures,” Carter said recalling games where BK let big halftime leads slip away. “Usually after the half we come out sloppy. We wanted to come out with energy. Come out the same way we came out for that second quarter.”
Shykell Brown hit a step-back jumper. Patrick Thomas blocked a shot on the defensive end and followed with a thunderous putback slam on the other end. Adams connected for three on an inside-out pass from Jamal Fennell. Carter converted two free throws, and BK had a commanding 62-37 lead.
“In a couple of games that second half we have allowed teams to get back into the game because we stopped talking; we stopped playing hard. We get comfortable with a lead,” Goode explained. “Tonight we didn’t get comfortable. We kept going, kept grinding, kept getting after it. Everybody talking and communicating with each other. I didn’t expect a 30-point win, but it happened.”
Adams hit five threes to finish with 15 points. Brown connected three times from long range and scored 13. Harley had 11. Thomas finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
McQuaid’s Isaiah Stewart led all scorers with 25 points. Anthony Iglesia added 20. Divine Williams chipped in 11.
The loss, though, was a bitter pill to swallow after the Knights soundly defeated the state-ranked East High Eagles, 91-64 last Friday night – a game which McQuaid led by 30 at one point.
“This is a great victory,” Carter said. “Especially against this team that beat East by almost 30.”
On Tuesday, the Knights committed turnovers on five of 11 possessions at one point in the second quarter – a critical sequence where the Knights were outscored 23-9.
Bishop Kearney improved to 13-6 on the season and will close its regular season on Wednesday against Buffalo Park School (VI) ranked No. 11 NYS Class A.
McQuaid fell to 13-6. The loss snapped a seven-game winning streak. The Jesuit Knights will close their regular season on Thursday at Aquinas.
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