9:02PM And that's the ball game. The final Score is St. John's 66 , Georgia 56. Much like the last time the Storm played at MSG, it was an ugly game, but I'm sure they'll take a win any day of the week. 

9:01PM: In advance of the Connecticut-Kentucky game, half of the crowd is chanting "Let's go Huskies", the other half is booing.

8:58PM: The clock is going to run out on this one. St. John's should move to 7-1 with dates coming up against Hofstra, Cornell or Davidson (the Holiday Festival), and Bryant. There's not a single game that St. John's should lose out of that batch, so Storm fans can be dissapointed if they're not 10-1 heading into the New Years Eve matchup with Georgetown. 

8:49PM: Travis Leslie just threw down a monster alley-oop. For those who joined me in wondering, Hatten was last spotted playing in Italy. Someone get Mike D'Antoni on the line. St. John's leads 61-51 with 2:15 remaining. 

8:44PM: There's a timeout on the floor, and that gets me wondering: Whatever happened to Marcus Hatten? The NCAA can scrub out St. John's 2003 NIT championship all they want, but I remember it, and I wonder where Hatten is now, six years later. 

8:41PM: DJ Kennedy with a dunk, and then with a steal and  layup. The DJ Kennedy mini-hour. St. John's leads



59-45, Kennedy has 5 points. 

8:38PM: Would you believe me if I said that St. John's was shooting almost 47 percent from the field? 

8:33PM: St. John's has taken control of this game. Evan's basket make the score 52-41 with 9:12 remaining.



This is what you had hoped to see if you were a St. John's fan. 

8:27PM: Omari Lawrence just took a hard tumble. He kinda got up gingerly, but it looks like he just got



the wind knocked out of him. 

8:25PM: Dwight Hardy adds a three. 48-36, largest lead of the game for the Red Storm. 

8:22PM: There's a timeout, St. John's leads 45-36. Georgia's Trey Thompkins is scoring at will against the Red Storm, but the rest of the Bulldogs have combined to score five field goals. 

8:21PM: Malik Boothe with a three! 43-34

8:20PM: DJ Kennedy just crossed up Ricky McPhee so badly he tripped. Kennedy finishes with a basket, but Georgia answers with a three. 40-34.

8:19PM: Paris Horne just hit a big three, and Travis Wesley answered on the other end. 38-31 St. John's. 

8:18PM: Brownlee adds a basket, the lead is 35-27 St. John's. 

8:17PM: Travis Leslie tried to stuff one down Dele Coker's gullet, Coker rejected it (but was called for a foul.) 33-27 St. John's, 18:07 left. 

8:12PM: Great passing leads to a Sean Evans basket. St. John's opens the second half with a 30-25 lead.

7:54PM: And we're at halftime. St. John's 28, Georgia 25. I'm going to go find a pillow. Dwight Hardy



leads St. John's with 7 points, and Trey Thompkins leads Georiga with 11. 

7:52PM: St. John's calls a time out to set up a play with 42 seconds left in the first half. They're up three. It's encouraging that they haven't been blown out by a team from a power conference (ahem Virginia Tech), but it's a little disconcerting that they can only play a 4-3 team to the tune of a three point lead. 

7:48PM: And DJ Kennedy comes up with a layup off a steal. St. John's extends their lead to 6, 26-20 with 1:38 to play in the first half. 

7:45PM: Apologies for the, struggling with wifi connection issues here at MSG. Anyway, you haven't missed much. St. John's leads by two. Travis Leslie of Georgia just missed an alley-oop but hit a free throw.  

7:24PM: Defense leads to baskets. Stith scores on a steal, while Vincent Williams answers from the top of the key. Score's still tied. 

7:22PM: St. John's problem is that they can struggle to shoot the baskebtall. They're missing shots, while Georgia is moving the ball around. Bulldogs are on an 8-3 run, game's tied 12-12.

7:16PM: Coker with a nice block, Evans is called for a foul. Travis Leslie is at the free throw line. 9-4 St. John's. 

7:11PM: Seans Evans in for Brownlee,  DJ Kennedy in for Lawrence. St. John's defense is swarming early. 9-3 St. John's. 

7:08PM: Dele Coker looks to be in much better shape than he was last year. He looks much stronger. St. John's out to the early 7-3 lead. 

7:02PM: Last time St. John's played at the Garden, they were embarrassed by Marque



tte in the Big East Tourmanent.

Hardy, Lawrence, and Coker are all starting tonight for St. John's 

6:45PM: Good evening, sports fans. I'm here at Madison Square Garden to cover the opening game of the Big East-SEC Invitational: St. John's vs Georgia. 

St. John's enters the game at 6-1, while the Bulldogs enter at 4-3. This is the third all time meeting between the two teams, and the first since 1983 in the NCAA tournament. St. John's won 66-43 in 1946, and Georgia beat the Storm 70-67 in the 1983.

More when the game starts.

 

10:24pm Bringing our night to an end, team LeBron picks up Christian Eyenga from the Congo.

 

10:20pm: Toney Douglass is selected by the Lakers at 29, but remember that I said the Lakers sold that pick to the Knicks. The hometowners a kid that averaged 21ppg in a tough ACC.

 

10:12pm: Minnesota is a Center and a bunch of guards. It's awesome.

 

9:53pm: With some history, Omri Casspri was selected by Sacramento at number 23. Casspri is the first Israeli player selected in the first round of the NBA draft.

 

9:38pm: Keeping with the recaps: Atlanta picks Teague (Bibby's replacement!), Utah gets Eric Maynor, and New Orleans picks Darren Collison. Pardon me, I'm yawning.

 

9:26pm: Minnesota just picked Ty Lawson. Point guard party! Although Ric Bucher is predicting that Lawson is getting traded.

 

9:15pm Did anyone see Jrue Holiday sliding this far? Down to number 17 and Philadelphia.

 

9:02pm Phoenix picks Earl Clark, Detroit picks Austin Daye. Hearing word of Daye being kinda lazy on the court. That stuff won't fly in Motown.

 

8:54pm Tyler Hansbrough goes to Indiana. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not very high on him. I don't think he'll be great pro, but it's good that he's to a lower pressure (relatively speaking, they're basketball nuts in Indiana) place.

 

8:46pm: Gerald Henderson (SG-Duke) goes next. Charlotte loves picking North Carolinians. Saw him at the St. John's Duke game, and I don't think he's a lottery pick.

 

8:39pm Brandon Jennings goes to Milwaukee, and Terrance Williams goes to Jersey, not a surprise considering they just traded Vince Carter.

 

8:33pm: While I'm here, I've got to point everyone to my friend Mike McCray's twitter. He has been uncanny in his selections: @yomike

 

8:30pm Jordan Hill says he can rebound and run the floor. He took part in the Amare Stoudemire basketball camp in the summers. Now looks like he'll learn from the master.

 

8:25pm DeMar Derozan (SG- USC) goes next to Toronto. Toronto's going to have a nice inside-out game with Bosh, Bargnani, and now DeRozan.

 

8:22pm The Hometowners pick Jordan Hill at 8, so suddenly David Lee is on the block.

 

8:17pm Stephen Curry gets drafted by Golden State. Golden State now has a glut of gaurds. New Yorkers are in mourning.

 

8:14pm While we wait for Golden State to play, what happens with Flynn and Rubio? Which one gets traded? Does Rubio play in Spain another year?

 

8:13pm Awesome quote: Rubio when asked if he knew about the Timberwolves. "No!"

 

8:11pm Johnny Flynn (PG Syracuse) gets picked instead! I saw him at the Big East tournament. He's a great player! Sebastian Telfair is totally on the way out!

 

8:07pm New Yorkers will boo if Curry gets picked next. The Knicks want him sooooo bad.

 

8:04pm: Minessota just picked Ricky Rubio (PG- Spain). They're totally picking Curry next.

 

7:59pm: Tyreke Evans (SG- Memphis) goes 4th to Sacramento. Minnesota (which went trade-crazy lately) up next with two picks!

 

7:56pm: Some of the trades that have gone down today: Shaq to Cavs, Carter to Magic, 29th Pick to Knicks.

 

7:53pm: And in a semi-surprising move, the Thunder picks James Harden (SG-Arizona State). Suddenly I where Rubio will fall. The Kings were hot for Rubio, but I they're also hot for Stephen Curry.

 

7:50pm Oklahoma City is up next. Speculation is that they'll pick Ricky Rubio, <a href="http://nba.fanhouse.com/2009/06/25/westbrook-backs-off-rubio-friction">something that doesn't make Russell Westbrook happy.</a>

 

7:47pm A little more about Hasheem Thabeet, he's a defensive minded center. I had a chance to look at him during some Big East games. Will he turn Memphis into a contender? No. Not at all. But he will provide a strong body against Duncan and Yao in the Midwest.

 

7:45pm Good evening everyone. Welcome to my NBA draft liveblog. I'll be here all night to talk about the picks and the trades (and boy were there trades!).

The draft started off pretty obviously, as the Clippers picked Blake Griffin (PF-Oklahoma) with the first pick. With the second pick, Memphis picked Hasheem Thabeet (C- Connecticut).

Well, this is going to be a much different liveblog than in weeks past. Unfortunately I can't connect to the internet here in swanky CitiField, so rather than keep a liveblog of a game you're probably watching online, I'll throw some insights into the game.

8:15PM We're starting here in the top  of the 4th inning. Mike Pelfrey has been pretty shaky thus far, giving up a home run on the second pitch of the game. He's actually been literally shaky, as he fell down on a pitch delivery in the second inning. The Mets are losing, but since we're in a new stadium, no one seems to care. Wonder how long the grace period will last. Pirates fans got sick of it pretty fast.

8:17PM John Franco entered the press box to talk about “his memories”' whatever that means. Gonna go see.

8:2PM  Franco likes the ballpark. He noted that it's going to take a “pretty good shot” to hit a home run. Interestingly, both Seaver and Franco were brought to the press room during the Mets at bats. Coincidence? I think not.

8:22PM Beltran was just robbed of a double on a leaping catch by Gerut. Mets still losing 4-1.

8:25PM Mets fans, I commend you for cheering Daniel Murphy for making a catch in the 3rd inning. I appreciate sarcasm, and that was dripping with it.

8:26PM Gonzalez hits a home run off the Pepsi porch. The boos are really starting to come down. Maybe Johan should have gotten an extra day's rest and pitched this game. He certainly couldn't be any worse.

8:31 PM Bud Selig just stopped by the press box (during a Padres at bat, in case you were wondering.) Selig talked about how all of the new ballparks are unique and then listed how each stadium tries to replicate a feature of an old ballpark (CitiField's copying of the Pepsi Porch in Detroit, for example.) Oh Bud, I love you contradictions. Selig also called Wrigley and Fenway “cathedrals” and said that they should be preserved “for as long as possible.” (Guess the old Yankee Stadium was just chopped liver.)

8:36PM Schneider just walked. I wanna see a come back. An opening day drubbing would suck. Speaking of drubbing, I'm hearing that the Yankees are losing 9-0. Guess the bullpen problems have made their way to the Bronx.

8:39PM Castillo flies out to center. Gary Sheffield pinch hits for Pelfrey. Crowd gets kinda interested. And there's Gary's crazy bat waggle. Good times.

8:41PM Sheffield grounds into a fielder's choice. Schneider out at second. But at least we got the bat waggle.

8:42PM Reyes walks. Now awaiting Daniel “Big Moment” Murphy. Padres have a meeting on the mound, but Sliva stays in. “Big Moment” better make him pay.

8:45PM “Big Moment” comes through with a single to right! Sheffield scores 5-2 Padres. The Heartthrob is up next.

8:47PM The line on Pelfrey: 5 Innings 8 Hits 5 Runs 2 Walks 3 Strikes out 2 Home Runs and 1 hilarious tumble. The heartthrob is still up. Is this suspense I'm starting to feel?

8:49PM Count goes full to Wright with 2 outs and 2 on. AND HE HITS A HOME RUN TO LEFT! Wow! Tie game with one swing! 5-5 All. 390 Feet, Wright's first homer of the year.

8:50PM Sliva comes out of the game. I told you the Mets would make them pay for keeping him in. Edward Mujica comes in. This is now fun because the game is in the hands of the bullpens, and for a change Mets fans don't seem to look depressed about that.

8:52PM Sliva's line: 4 2/3 Innings 5 Hits 5 Runs 3 Walks 2 Strikeouts 1 Home Run. Mujica gets Delgado to fly out to deep center.

8:54PM Brian Stokes is pitching for the Mets. I covered him when he was in the minors with New Orleans last year. We've both made it to the majors. “Sniff.” Amen' brother. Now don't blow the lead.

8:55PM Speaking of the minors, how come Valentino Passcucci never made it up? That man could swing a big stick!

8:56PM Church misplays a fly ball to right and it rolls into the crevice. That crevice will claim many victims over the next 40 years. Rodriguez to third on the error.

8:58PM Edgar Gonzalez is pinch hitting for Mujica. There's a meeting on the mound. And Stokes is staying in.

9:00PM Gonzo grounds to Wright. Rodriguez stays at third. The heartthrob made a great play with his glove too.

9:01PM Pedro Feliciano is now pitching. You know what that means. Asprin time!

9:05PM Feliciano has Eckstein down 0-2 and throws a ball. Why is David Eckstein, who won two World Series and was even Series MVP, playing for the Padres? Is he some kinda tiny prima dona, who leads teams to championships but destroys chemistry?

9:07PM Feliciano balked, Rodriguez scores. I hope you had that Asprin ready. I told you you'd need it.

9:08PM Almost unnoticed by everyone, Eckstein doubles to center.  

9:09PM Giles grounds out to end the inning. Big boos for Feliciano. No one likes a balk. Even the Mets PA announcer sounded mad when he said “The San Diego Run is unearned. NOT EARNED.”

9:13PM Beltran gets a single to extend his hit streak. Now comes Church, who pops up and out.

9:20PM Castillo gets on, Jeremy Reed pinch hits for Feliciano. No nicknames for Reed, he'll have to earn his.

9:21PM Reed with a sad little pop up that eats up Rodriguez. Bases loaded with 2 outs for Jose Reyes. Get a hit here or Manuel will cut you.

9:23PM Reyes flies out to left.

9:25PM Shawn Green is now pitching for the Mets.

9:31PM Green gets Kouzmanoff to ground into a fielder's choice

9:33PM The line of Feliciano 2/3 Inning 1Hit 0 Runs 0 Strikeouts 1Balk and shattered dreams of little Mets fan kids everywhere.

9:34PM Green strikes out Hundley, inning over.

9:38PM “Big Moment” Murphy is up. Broke his bat on a pitch, and strikes out on the next pitch.

9:39PM Here comes David Wright. The Heartthrob came through last time. This time he toys with everyone's hearts by driving a pitch up out to center. Long loud out.

9:42PM Delgado strikes out. And the boos are back.

9:42PM The Mets are bringing out JJ Putz even though they're trailing. They're like a kid showing off their new toy. It's kinda adorable.

9:44PM Putz walks Rodriguez. Everth Cabrera is a pinch hitter.

9:48PM Cabrera tries a bunt that lands in Putz glove. Fail.

9:49PM Wild pitch from Putz moves Rodriguez to third. This is what happens when you try to show off your toys at inappropriate times.

9:50PM Fans are trying the wave in center field.

9:54PM With 2 outs and a runner on 3rd, Putz and Eckstein are battling.

9:55PM Tonights attendance: 41,741. A sellout.

9:56PM Eckstein walks. Now comes Brian Giles, who I think has the coolest plain name ever.

9:57PM Giles hits it to Putz, who fields to Delgado. Inning over.

10:00PM Beltran is up to lead off the inning. Beltran promptly pops up and out.

10:01PM Church time. Church breaks his bat and grounds to 2nd.

10:02PM Has this been a quick inning thus far or what?

10:04PM Schneider grounds out. It's time for K-Rod. Not surprisingly, there's no Sandman.

10:09PM Adrian Gonzalez leads off the inning. Rodriguez sets him down swinging.

10:10PM Headley flies out to right.

10:11PM K-Rod sets down the fathers in order. Last licks for the Mets coming up.

10:13PM Heath Bell is pitching for the Padres.

10:15PM Castillo is up to lead off. And he grounds out to third.

10:16PM Fernando Tatis is pinch hitting. Bell with a HIGH wild pitch. And would you believe Mike Bloomberg caught it?

10:19PM Tatis flies out to right. Reyes is the last hope.

10:20PM Reyes flies out to third and the Padres beat the Mets 6-5. And just like the last game at Shea, the first game at CitiField ends in a Mets loss. Also like the last game at Shea, the Mets bullpen gives up the lead late, and the Mets are unable to mount a comeback. The Mets fall to 3-4.

(13) St. John's vs (5) Marquette

*FINAL: MARQUETTE 74, ST. JOHN'S 45* That's all folks. Marquette advances to face Villanova. The Red Storm were led in scoring by DJ Kennedy with 11. Off to the presser! Thanks for sticking around!

Boothe hits perhaps the last 3 of the season. Roberts with a steal and a layup. 74-45.

*4:40pm: Marquette 74, St. John's 40.* So all things considered, I have to wonder if St. John's considers this a successful season. They started really strong, but faltered against Big East opponents. They won their first tourney game in five years, but then were smoked in the second round- all without Anthony Mason Jr.

Kennedy with the alley oop from Boothe. 72-40. 2:47 remaining.

Stepped away? Unfortunately you haven't missed much. 72-38 Marquette with 3 minutes left to play.

Matthews with a 3. He's got 20. Paris Hone answers. 68-33.

Matthews with the pretty alley opp. 63-27. That's the first real highlight play of an otherwise lackluster game.

McNeal with a jumper, 57-25 Marquette.

The Garden's starting to empty out as St. John's fans head towards the exits. 55-25, 10:31 remaining.

Evans with a basket, Quincy Roberts with a foul going the other way. Timeout, 53-24, 11:13 remaining.

Cubillian with a a jumper. 53-22.

Horne with a basket. 51-22.

Fans chanting "We are Marquette." As McNeal hits a basket. 51-20, 12:30 remaining.

Thomas with a runner for St. John's, Hayward with the answer for Marquette. 47-18.

Butler fouled on a basket, hits the and 1. Marquette leads 43-16. 14:58 remaining.

Evans with a dunk off a pass from Burrell 40-16. (6-2 St. John's in the half)

McNeal fouled by Burrell, hit both free throws. 40-14

Horne with the steal and a big dunk. 38-14.

Both teams trade misses for a few, then Kennedy gets a basket off a goaltend by Matthews. 38-12.

3:47pm: Time to start the second half. Let's see if St. John's can hit some jumpers and get their confidence back. The game is already over, this is all about respect.

*HALFTIME MARQUETTE 38, ST JOHN'S 10* There are bad halfs, there are blowouts, and then there's this. St. John's shot 13.5% (3-23) from the field. The leading scorer for the Storm? Paris Horne with 4 points.

You want to be positive and look at a way for the Storm to get back in the game, but they can't shoot, they're not rebounding, and they're getting out run. The Georgetown win seems like months ago. This is an awful way for a season to end.

Matthews hits both free throws right before halftime. Equal mix of cheers and boos as the teams leave the court. *38-10 is the score.*

3:30pm Butler with a quick layup. 36-10. Horne misses a jumper. Matthews fouled by Horne on a breakaway.

Matthews with a 3. 34-10.

Justin Burrell hits a jumper, and the ENTIRE ARENA, including Marquette fans, cheer and applaud.

It's the Lazar Hayward show. Another basket. 31-8, 1:53 remaining. Hayward has 10 points, St. John's has 8.

Hayward with another jumper. 29-8 Marquette, 2:37 remaining.

Timeout Marquette. Fans are lightly booing the Red Storm.

Hayward with another basket, Kennedy with a miss at the other end 27-8 Marquette.

Matthews fouled again, hits 1 of 2. 25-8 Marquette, 4:30 remaining.

St. John's is shooting 12% from the field.

3:17pm Kennedy and Thomas miss shots for St. John's. Matthews is fouled at the other end for Marquette. Nails both free throws. 24-8 Marquette

3:10pm: St. John's needs a shooter and a rebounder for next year. I guess we're just waiting to see if Phil Wait can develop in a year or two.

Matthews nails a 3. St. John's calls a full timeout as the curtain begins to fall. 22-8 Marquette, 6:32 remaining.

Second chances, second chances. Hayward with a basket off a rebound as the shot clock expires. 19-8. Marquette.

Culbillian with a pretty layup. 17-8 Marquette. Timeout St. John's, 8:10 remaining.

Butler scores for Marquette, Horne answers for St. John's. 15-8 Marquette. This is one of those games that looks way worse than the score is. The shooting from both teams has just been awful.

Horne fouled by McNeal, hits both free throws. 13-6 Marquette.

3:02pm: Hayward with a pretty spinning layup. 13-4 Marquette.

2:58pm: Burke airballs a 3. Seems like Marquette is struggling to shoot just as much. Marquette is just getting more rebounds. Timeout, 11-4 Marquette, 11:38 remaining.

2:56pm: Evans tries to power into the basket, gets called for a charge. Storm can't shoot or bully their way to the basket right now. It's still close, but looking like a long afternoon.

Rob Thomas goes diving into the crowd after a loose ball. He's ok though.

McNeal with a jumper 11-4 Marqutte.

Boothe drains a jumper 9-4 Marquette

Turnover St. John's, Hayward on a breakaway but Horne blocks the layup from behind.

Burke with the putback basket. Marquette is getting a lot of rebounds early. 9-2 Golden Eagles. Timeout, 15:05 remaining.

2:46 Boothe and Kennedy on a fast break, Kennedy fouled by McNeal. Kennedy hits 1 of 2. 7-2 Eagles.

Horne misses a 3. St. John's struggling to shoot out there.

2:45: Butler fouled by Evans. Butler hits both free throws 7-1 Marquette.

2:44: Burke with a basket 5-1 Marquette.

2:43: McNeal fouled, hits 1 of 2 free throws, St. John's rebounds.

Hayward fouled Kennedy. Kennedy nails 1 of 2 free throws. 2-1 Marquette

Acker nails jumper, 2-0 Marquette.

2:40pm Horne called for foul, team's 1st.

2:40pm Marquette wins tip, basketball goes out of bounds, Eagles ball.

2:37pm: Starters have been announced, no surprised for St. John's. It's pretty electric in here.

Starters:

St. John's: Kennedy, Burrell, Evans, Boothe, Horne

Marquette: Matthews, Hayward, Burke, Acker, McNeal

Saturday: Girl's Championship

*(1) Christ the King vs (2) Mary Louis Academy*

_Christ the King wins 67-53_

For the second time in as many days, Christ the King celebrated a B/Q championship. This time, it was the ladies who clamped down and wore out their opponent en route to a title.

The Christ the King Royals, led by junior guard Bria Smith's 18 points, wore out the Mary Louis Hilltoppers 67-53 saturday night at St. Francis Prep in Fresh Meadows.

Smith, playing with an injured ankle, earned high praise from head coach Bob Mackey, who called her performance "gutsy."

The Royals came out swinging, racing to a quick 10-4 lead on a traditional 3-point play by Tahira Johnson with 3:31 left in the 1st. Karin Robinson countered with a basket to pull the Hilltoppers within four, but Bria Smith responded with a 3-point play of her own.

Ariel Edwards added a basket with 50 seconds remaining , and Christ the King carried held an 18-7 lead after the first quarter.

Shortly before the conclusion of the quarter, Royals junior forward Tahira Johnson went down with a knee injury. She did not return to the game. Mackey insisted that she'd be ok with rest.

In the second, the Hilltoppers scored the first five points of the quarter, pulling to within 18-12, and from there the two teams traded baskets for the most of the quarter. But with 1 minute remaining in the quarter, Jacqueline Michel nailed a big three, giving the Royals a 31-23 lead. Jackie Kresse responded with a jumper just before halftime, and the Royals went into the lockers with a 32-25 lead.

Edwards and Smith scored twice to open the third, pushing the Royal lead to 11 before Robinson put Mary Louis' first points on the board with 6:49 remaining. Robinson added a three to pull the Hilltoppers back within four points, but Smith nailed a big three with 2:15 remaining to put Christ the King up 44-36.

Mary Louis' Reana Mohamed failed to convert the free throw on a three point play, and Christ the King led 46-38 after three.

In the fourth the Royals came out with a flurry, as Edwards and Nia Oden hit baskets and Eliana Scanlon nailed a three to push the lead to 53-38 with 6:40 to play. Mary Louis responded with a basket from Camille Romero, but Oden took control down the stretch, scoring two baskets in 40 seconds to give Christ the King a 60-42 lead. Robinson hit a three, but Smith responded with three points of her own to push the lead to 65-47 with 2:20 to play. Smith nailed two free throws, and Mohamed and Robinson scored baskets for the game's final points.

_All Games Take place at Christ the King High School_

*Friday: Boy's Championship*

*(1) Christ the King vs (3) Xaverian*

_Christ the King wins 66-60_




After three years of wandering in the desert, the Christ the King Royals are back on top, but it was not easy. The Xaverian Clippers, a team that upended second-seeded Bishop Loughlin in the semifinals, pushed the Royals to limit.

But in the end, there was too much Maurice Barrow, too much Corey Edwards, and too much Sean Johnson.

Johnson scored a team-high 29 points to lead Christ the King over Xaverian 66-60.

"He does everything. Every-thing," gushed Royals coach Joe Arbitello after the game. "There's nothing he doesn't do."

Playing before a split crowd, Xaverian went to work quickly, taking an 8-6 lead on a basket by Jamal Fuentes with 4:39 to play in the quarter. Maurice Barrow answered for the Royals at the other end, tying the game at 8 with 2:50 left.

Sean Johnson, who scored a 33 against Molloy on thursday night, gave Christ the King a 14-11 lead with a traditional 3-point play with 24.2 left in the quarter, but Filip Bochkov answered with a trey right before the end of the quarter, tying the game at 14.

Bochkov opened the second wit another three, and Xaverian showed poise as the gym filled with more Royals fans, taking a 6 point lead on a 3 by Justin Exum.

Johnson pulled Christ the King back within 3 on a three point play, and the Royals withstood a barrage of baskets from Xaverian senior Yandell Denis to take a 29-28 lead into the locker room.

The two teams traded baskets to start the third, with the score tied at 33-33 with 5:32 to play.

But from there, Christ the King flipped the switch, using an 8-0 run over two minutes to take a 41-33 lead.

Johnson nailed another three just before the end of the quarter to put the Royals up 10 heading into the final quarter.

Denis tried valiantly to keep the Clippers close, pulling his team within 9 on a basket with 4:42 to play. But a Maurice Barrow dunk with 3:04 remaining started the celebration for Royals fans. Xaverian pulled within 5 with 34.3 to play on a basket by guard Rasheem King, but by then it was too little too late.

The Royals will now prepare for the next level.

"We've gotta prepare for the city championship." Johnson said.

Arbitello meanwhile, wants his team to feel good about themselves.

"We can enjoy this for tonight," he said.

*Thursday: Girl's Semifinals*

* 7:00pm (1) Christ the King vs (5) Bishop Ford*

_Christ the King wins 60-42_

_Tahira Johnson and the Royals rose above the Falcons._

Talk about an easy night.

Christ the King showed the value of a first round bye, jumping out to an early lead and never letting up en route to a 60-42 throttling of Bishop Ford.

The Royals, the top seed in the tournament, jumped out to an early 17-8 lead on a three-pointer by Jacqueline Michel with 1:35 left in the first quarter, and from there, it was already over.

The Royals were paced by Ariel Edwards, who led a balanced attack with 15 points.

The Royals will advance to the finals to play the second seeded Mary Louis Hilltoppers.

*5:30pm (2) Mary Louis Academy vs (3) Molloy*

_Mary Louis wins 64-55_

_Karin Robinson and the Mary Louis Academy will play for the B/Q title Saturday night_

Molloy's hopes of an upset came crashing down against the second-seeded Mary Louis Academy, who used a strong 4th quarter to down the Stanners.

The game was very close for the first three quarters, as Molloy led 14-10 at halftime, and 39-38 after three.

Victory was still very much up in the air halfway through the 4th, as Nicolette Marciniak tied the game at 42 with a basket with 6:24 left in the quarter. But the Hilltoppers responded with a 7-0 run, puntuated by Karin Robinson's basket with 4:36 left.

The Hilltoppers advance to face the winner of the Christ the King/Bishop Ford tilt.

*Wednesday: Boy's Semifinals*

*7:30 (1) Christ The King (21-3, 11-2) vs (4) Molloy (14-18, 6-7)*

_Christ the King wins 87-85_




_Maurice Barrow (15) and the Royals survived Russell Smith's (bottom right) superhuman performance_


Holy Smokes, I cannot describe how incredible this game was. Each team had it's star player show up. For Christ the King, it was Sean Johnson, who scored a gutty 33 points despite struggling with his jumpshot. For Molloy, it was the superhuman Russell Smith, who exploded for an incredible 47 points.


Christ the King established control early, taking a 40-30 lead with 2:30 left in the first half on a basket by Corey Edwards, who had 21 points in his own right.


Molloy responded in the third quarter, grabbing a 52-47 lead on a 3 by Ernest Rouse with 5:25 to play. After 3, Molloy held a 65-62 lead.


The fourth quarter was absolutely incredible, as Smith and Johnson took turns energizing and demoralizing fans with jumpers, layups and 3's. Smith cut Christ the King's lead down to 1 with a 3 pointer with 4:03 to play. But in the end there was too much Johnson, who converted a big three-point play with 28.5 remaining to give Christ the King an 86-81 lead.


With the win, Christ the King will advance to the Finals, where they will face the surprising Xaverian team.

*6:00pm (2) Loughlin (15-9, 8-5) vs (3) Xaverian (12-12, 6-7)*

_Xaverian wins 59-39_




_Justin Exum powered Xaverian into the Finals_


Is there ever such a thing as a 20-point upset? Loughlin entered as the favorite, but playing without JayVaughn Pinkston (academically ineligible) for the fifth straight game, Loughlin's wheels game off against Xaverian.


Xaverian took a 20-12 halftime lead, and continue to pour it on in the third, going up by 15 on a 3 pointer by Justin Exum with 1:11 to play in the quarter.


As stunned Loughlin fans watched, Xaverian players hit their free throws in the fourth quarter and cruised to an easy victory.


After the game, Xaverian coach Jack Alesi acknowledged the void caused by Pinkston's absence. "They're obviously a different team without JayVaughn Pinkston."


Alesi can now look ahead to the Christ the King/Molloy winner.


"We know what's ahead of us." Alesi said.

Sports Illustrated reports that Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids in 2003.

There was no penalty for steroid use back in 2003.

If this is true, (and it looks pretty hard to prove false) it's very damning for Rodriguez. 2003 was the year he won his first American League MVP award, so there's no way he can say it didn't help his performance.

The question now is: when did he start? Looking back at ARod's stats, you can't really see an explosion in power. Maybe it was 2001, when he jumped from 41 home runs in 2000 to 52. Then again, he also played in more games that year.

It's disheartening that the steroid scandal has reached Rodriguez. He was the one player that got a pass during this whole mess. When Jose Canseco accused him, we all said "No way, Jose!"

We defended him. We might not have defended his play on the field in October. But we believed his talents (like his playoff failures) were his own.

And how about this jem:



He lied to us. He had us in his corner, knowing the truth all along.

Why, ARod?

*6:37 pm* End of 3rd Quarter, *DOLPHINS 21, JETS 17* Jets made a brief comeback, moving down field to start the third and getting a touchdown and a two point conversion. However, Pennington threw a deep ball to Ted Ginn. Miami scored shortly after. Also, Baltimore has opened up a can on Jacksonville, leading 27-7. Say good night Jets fans, season's over.

*5:58 PM* 3rd Quarter, ok folks, Baltimore leads 24-7. With the Jets season looking bleaker and bleaker,barring a miracle, I'll be back at the end of the 3rd and 4th quarter for wrap ups.

*HALFTIME: DOLPHINS 14, JETS 9* Again, we see the good and the bad of Brett Favre. He's made some pretty throws to Cotchery and Coles, but the 2 interceptions have been killer. It's a close game, but the way the Ravens are playing, it might not matter.

_Time for a quick break, back after the half._

*5:44 pm* Favre incomplete to Keller in the endzone Ball went through Keller's hands. Feely kicks a field goal. *DOLPHINS 14, JETS 9*

*5:42 pm* An illegal formation call pushes the Jets back to 1st and 15 at the 24. Complete to Stuckey to the 10. Jets spike with 8 seconds to go.

*5:40 pm* Jets marching down the field. Favre to Coles for 27 yards. Guess he's ok.

*5:34 pm* You step away for 5 seconds, and Brett Favre throws another pick, only this one is returned for a touchdown. *DOLPHINS 14, JETS 6*

Kellen Clemens is warming up. This must be bad.

*5:29 pm* Pennington long pass to Ted Ginn, *TOUCHDOWN* Kick is good. *DOLPHINS 7, JETS 6*

*5:28 pm* Pennington under pressure, avoids sack, throws to Fasano to a first down.

*5:27 pm* Nothing going for Miami. 3rd and 5 coming up.

*5:24 pm* Incomplete pass to Washington. Jets will punt.

*5:24 pm* Big play by Leon Washington on 2nd and 20. Man, he is fast. 3rd and 7 coming up.

*5:22 pm* Baltimore just took a 17-7 lead over Jacksonville. This is getting bad for the Jets.

*5:21 pm* Pennington almost picked off by Barton. Miami will punt.

*5:20 pm* Pennington to Bess. 3rd down coming up.

*5:20 pm* Another wildcat, another missed opportunity for Miami. Incomplete pass.

*5:17 pm* KICKOFF- Dolphins take the ball out to the 30.

*5:14 pm* Favre to Coles, *TOUCHDOWN* Great effort by Coles. Jets mis-snap on the extra point. *JETS 6, DOLPHINS 0*

*5:12 pm* Favre shovel pass to Leon Washington, good for a first down. Jets are clicking finally.

*5:11 pm* Jones 2 yard run.

*5:10 pm* Favre 26 yard pass to Cotchery, longest play of the game.

*5:09 pm* Jets try to Wildcat to no avail. Brad Smith hit for a 3 yard loss.

*5:06 pm* Pennington sacked, FUMBLE, Jets recover on the 50.

*5:05 pm* 3rd and 2 Miami run picks up a 1st down.

*5:05pm* Baltimore takes a 10-7 lead over Jacksonville.

*5:05 pm* 2nd and 6 Williams picks up 4. 3rd and 2 coming up.

*5:04 pm* Dolphins keep it on the ground this play, pick up 4 yards.

*5:03 pm* Rhodes intercepts Pennington, but an illegal contact flag on Ty Law takes it away and gives Miami a first down. Killer penalty.

*5:02 pm* Pennington almost picked off, 2nd and 10.

*5:01 pm* Pennington to Fasano for 11 yards. 1st down Miami.

*4:58 pm* Favre hit on a blitz. Pass incomplete. Jets will punt again.

*4:57 pm* On 3rd and 7, flag for encroachment. 5 yard penalty, 3rd and 2 coming up.

*4:54 pm* Some home for Jets fans. Jacksonville just took a 7-3 lead in the 2nd quarter.

*4:53 pm* Pennington all day, throws a 1 yard pass to Ronnie Brown, Brown gets 4 yards after catch. Dolphins will punt.

*4:52 pm* 3rd and 12 for Miami. Jets bliz, but there's a false start against Miami. 3rd and 17 coming up.

*4:46 pm* Wildcat reverse to Pennington, by Ricky Williams drops an absolutely sure touchdown.

*4:44 pm* Pennington complete to Hobbes for a 1st down.

*4:43 pm* Wildcat run by Ronnie Brown. 1st down.

*4:41 pm* Ricky Williams with a 1 yard reception for Pennington. 2nd down coming up.

*4:40 pm* Martin walked off the field. Looks like the play was ruled a catch. Martin bobbled the football. Jets should challenge, but the won't.

*4:38 pm* Incomplete pass for Miami on 3rd down, but more importantly, Miami wideout David Martin is down and not moving. He took a shot to the back of the head on the catch attempt.

*4:37pm* In Baltimore, The Ravens just missed a field goal. Still 3-0 Ravens.

*4:36 pm* Ronnie Brown stuffed for no gain.

*4:34 pm* Favre intercepted by Andre Goodman. Should've stayed on the ground.

*4:33 pm* Jones with a 4 yard run.

*4:30 pm* Dolphins punt, Jets take over at the 45. I'm expecting a big serving of Thomas Jones coming up for the Jets.

*4:30 pm* Incomplete pass. Dolphins will punt.

*4:29 pm* Ricky Williams with a 1 yard run. 3rd and 9 coming up.

*4:28 pm* Baltimore leads Jacksonville 3-0. Again, if Baltimore wins, the Jets are done.

*4:27 pm* 3rd and 3 for Miami. Williams with an 8 yard run. 1st down Miami.

*4:26 pm* 1 yard run for Ronnie Brown, almost came close to a safety. As predicted, a nice ovation for Pennington.

*4:24 pm* Great punt coverage by the Jets sticks Miami down at the 4. In comes Chad Pennington. Considering Favre's performance over the last month, I bet he gets an ovation from the crowd.

*4:23 pm* Incomplete pass to Dustin Keller. Jets will punt.

*4:23 pm* Jones picks up a yard. 3rd and 9 coming up.

*4:22 pm* Favre overthrows Coles on a sure touchdown.

*4:21 pm* Washington rushes for 4 yards, plus a 5 yard holding penalty, sets up a second and 1 for New York.

*4:20 pm* Favre complete to Leon Washington for 9 yards. 1st Down Jets.

*4:19 pm* 3rd and 6 for the Jets, neutral zone infraction on the Dolphins. Jets get a 3rd and 1.

*4:18 pm* Favre incomplete to Cotchery. Brett Favre looks like he's just throwing hard these last few games. No touch, just force.

*4:17 pm* Kickoff- Jets get the ball to start. Miami won the toss but elected to kick.

*4:10 pm* Good afternoon everyone, I'll here throughout today's Jets-Miami Dolphins game.

For those not in the know, the The Dolphins enter the game needing a win to clinch the AFC East title. The Jets need a win and a Baltimore Ravens loss to clinch a playoff spot. New England's 13-0 victory over the Buffalo Bills earlier today ensures that Jets cannot win the division crown.

Well, that was fun while it lasted.

The Red Storm men had a ball opening the season 8-1 against the NJIT's, Bethune-Cookman's and Cornell's of the world. But starting this weekend, things will get a little tougher. This weekend the Storm will take to Madison Square Garden for the Aeropostale Holiday Festival, where they will play Marist in the opening around, and could (and should) potentially Virginia Tech in the championship round.

No disrespect to Marist, but the Hokies will be the true test of the weekend. Virgina Tech is 6-4, but much like St. John's they haven't played the toughest opening schedule, facing teams like Elon, Gardner-Webb and Mount St. Mary's.

If the storm can handle the Hokies, that would be a huge boon to them as they head into Big East play.

Just got back from the St. John's-Monmouth game.

A few thoughts:

This was quite an ugly game. There were so many traveling calls on both sides that it was hard for the game to develop any sort of rhythm.

Da'Shena Stevens started in place of Coco Hart. Coach Kim Barnes Arico said that Stevens and Hart will alternate starts based on which player performs better during practice. Tonight it was Stevens, and she made the most of her chance, pulling down 6 rebounds in the first half.

Monmouth forward Jennifer Bender wreaked havoc on the storm late in the game. Once the Hawk's three point shots started falling, Bender had room to operate, and St. John's had a tough time stopping her.

Credit McClean with a big basket a big steal late in the game. McClean had a quiet game, but she stepped up when needed.