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Christ the King Completes Historic Sweep
GLENS FALLS – Once Anthony Hemingway’s double-clutch, last-second 3-pointer popped inside of the rim and out, it set off a massive celebration at halfcourt. It wasn’t just any commemoration that followed Christ the King’s thrilling, 52-49 victory over Boys & Girls in the New York State Federation Class AA boys basketball final. It was more like a coronation, Christ the King’s two teams -- the boys and girls – mixed together. They hopped up and down at center court like pogo sticks after completing a clean sweep for the first time in 29 years of Federation history. Just two hours earlier, the CK girls knocked off Sachem East, 73-67, in their ‘AA’ final. “It’s a historic program and this is the apex of it,” boys coach Joe Arbitello said. The two teams, who finished with identical 26-5 records, are particularly close. After the boys beat Bishop Loughlin in their intersectional title game, they rushed over to see the girls’ CHSAA Class AA state championship victory over St. Michael Academy instead of celebrating. This weekend, everything said revolved around winning both crowns. “All we were talking about was making history,” said sophomore guard Omar Calhoun, who was named boys tournament MVP after scoring a game-high 20 points. It wasn’t easy for either side. The boys, who won their first Federation title since 1989, blew a 10-point, third-quarter lead against PSAL champion Boys & Girls, but pulled out the victory after Calhoun sank two go-ahead free throws with 50 seconds remaining. Point guard T.J. Curry followed with two more at the line for insurance. The girls, meanwhile, struggled to put away Sachem East (L.I.) until the final minutes when senior Ariel Edwards (23 points, 15 rebounds) and junior Bria Smith (19 points), the tournament MVP, took charge. Arbitello used their victory as motivation, telling his team the girls held up their end of the bargain with their first ‘AA’ Federation since 2006 and 15th overall. Soon, the boys completed the memorable feat. “It’s something that will never be taken away and we will always be proud of,” principal Michael Lynch said. “These teams will live in the memory of Christ the King for a long, long time.” Smith said she had butterflies watching the boys games from the stands with her teammates and a foam Christ the King finger on one hand. They, along with school’s cheerleaders, stormed the court after the boys win and cut down the nets. “It’s crazy,” she said. “We made history." The teams have been extremely close all season. They are often at each other games, have practiced together and consider each other brothers and sisters – one big family with one big goal. “I wouldn’t want it any other way,” senior Tara Rock said. It is a day no one associated with Christ the King will soon forgot and one that will be talked about long after all those involved put away basketballs for good. “In today’s time, when all we see is so much negative about the competition, boys, girls, it’s just a great thing to see two teams who work so hard and achieve this.” CK girls coach Bob Mackey said. |
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Title Town: Middle Village the Hoops Capitol of NY
Joe Arbitello’s first order of business after winning his first CHSAA Class AA boys basketball intersectional championship as coach at Christ the King had nothing to do with celebrating. Instead, the second-year man had to play bus driver. With a throng of reporters waiting for him at Rose Hill Gym, Arbitello raced out to the Fordham University parking lot to get the Christ the King van. The boys players wanted to go see the school’s girls team in its CHSAA Class AA state championship game against St. Michael Academy at Cardinal Spellman, also in The Bronx. “The boys weren’t big on celebrating,” Arbitello said. “They wanted to get here to see the girls.” The boys were met with a loud ovation when they finally arrived midway through the third quarter after their triple-overtime classic against Bishop Loughlin. Not long after, they were on the court celebrating with the girls after a 61-48 win against St. Mike’s – and their record 26th CHSAA state title. “I think we got a huge lift from the cheerleaders and when the boys showed up,” CK girls coach Bob Mackey said. “There was just a lot of energy once that happened.” During warm-ups, the girls were waiting with baited breath to hear results from the boys game. Mackey and coach Dom Cecala were inquiring about results from reporters, who were following a live blog on NYPost.com. The girls game started, though, before the boys finished up their incredible victory. “On the bench Mackey got a text message and we all knew that the boys won,” said Jackie Michel, a senior on the girls team. “We just knew we had to take it with them.” The two teams got close this year. The girls were extremely supportive when Terrell Hunt, a reserve on the boys team, lost his mother Katrina to ovarian cancer in January. “Especially what they have gone through…it’s been outstanding,” Mackey said. “They have been a great bunch of guys. We have been at their games. They have been at ours. Losing Terrel Hunt’s mom, losing [point guard] Corey Edwards [to a foot injury], they could have folded up the house weeks ago.” Neither team did, though, and both will be heading up to Glens Falls in two weeks. It happened in 2003 and before that in 1995, when Arbitello played. “It’s going to make it very special,” CK boys senior Roland Brown said. … “We’re really close. We’re like a family.” Christ the King president Michael Michel said there are plans to rent buses for family, friends and fans to ride up to Glens Falls to watch both teams. The cheerleaders will be headed there also. The Royals boys and girls will have a built-in support system more than 200 miles away from home. “This is a great thing for the school,” Michael Michel said. It’ll certainly be a party in Middle Village for the next few weeks. “It’s just a Christ the King weekend,” Brown said.
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