Joe Stabach has heard the chatter. He knows the reputation Staten Island basketball has throughout the rest of the city.
“Not a lot of people expect teams from Staten Island [to win], especially against a team from the CHSAA ‘AA,’” the St. Joseph by the Sea senior guard said.
That’s what makes Sunday’s 65-60 victory at Archbishop Molloy so significant. While the Stanners aren’t the same team they were a decade ago, a win at Jack Curran Gymnasium for any Staten Island squad is significant.
“This is a really big win,” Stabach said. “This is a really good team, they beat Christ the King. That definitely boosts team morale. We can play with anyone we feel like. We can take on the big boys, too.”
Vikings coach Scott Welle is well aware of Archbishop Molloy’s storied program led by its legendary coach Jack Curran. But Welle believed his team had the edge coming into the game, even though it was the underdog.
“We’ve got an advantage going into this game,” he said. “We’re ready to go, we want to beat these guys. They’re an ‘AA’ team and we want to prove ourselves. And of course going against Coach Curran, that’s big.”
The formula for success against the Stanners Sunday was the same as it’s been throughout the year for Sea (9-8), the second-place team on Staten Island behind St. Peter’s, which already clinched the Island’s berth in the Class AA intersectional playoffs.
The core of the Vikings’ lineup – Stabach, Eddie Connelly, Anthony Cipriano and Joe Lane – has been teammates since the fourth grade. That’s a big reason why Sea is patient, smart and selfless offensively.
“We have good team chemistry,” Connelly said. “We all get along off the court so that helps on the court.”
Added Stabach: “We always know where we’re going to be.”
Of course it also helps that all five Sea starters can knock down shots from the perimeter.
“When I saw them in their 1-2-2 [zone], I said this is perfect for us,” Welle said, “Cipriano likes to break it down and kick it out and we had some open looks. Eddie is our best all-around player and Stabach is right behind him. Those guys really stepped it up.”
Molloy (7-8) didn’t match the Vikings’ intensity, until the Stanners found themselves down 11 in the second quarter. In the third quarter, Molloy pressed, attempting to turn the Vikings over and also forced them to speed up offensively.
Ernest Rouse, who had a game-high 27 points but shot just 3-of-11 from 3-point range, scored on a layup off a turnover to cap a 12-3 run and Molloy took a 39-36 lead with 3:23 left in the third quarter.
It appeared the Stanners’ had wrestled momentum away, but the veteran Vikings didn’t need a timeout, didn’t need to talk things over. Connelly drove to the basket for two, Stabach added two free throws and Lane added a layup and the Vikings led 45-41 heading into the fourth.
“These kids don’t feel any pressure at all,” Welle said. “They’re very comfortable out there with each other and they know where everyone is going to be. Give Molloy credit, they really picked it up in the third quarter, but we adjusted very well after that.”
Molloy had a chance to send the game into overtime when Stabach uncharacteristically missed two free throws with 2.9 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Keith Kilpatrick grabbed the rebound and tried to pass to Rouse, but he threw the ball directly under his own basket. Connelly stole the ball, scored the layup and sealed a huge win for St. Joseph by the Sea.
Connelly led Sea with 21 points. Stabach added 17, Lane had 12 and Cipriano had 10 in another balanced effort for the Vikings. Chris Garcia had 13 points and nine rebounds for Molloy, which shot 6-of-27 from 3-point range.
“I thought they played well and we played poorly,” Curran said. “They play well together and we didn’t play defense, we didn’t make foul shots and we didn’t make 3-pointers.”