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Did nationally ranked St. Michael's take a dive?
By Marc Raimondi March 1, 2009
The St. Peter’s girls’ basketball team upset – and dominated – nationally ranked St. Michael Academy, 62-49, on Sunday in the CHSAA Class AA Archdiocesan championship game.
St. Peter’s outrebounded taller and more athletic St. Mike’s, 41-27. St. Peter’s outshot St. Mike’s, 45.2 percent to 29.6 percent. And St. Peter’s outhustled St. Mike’s to almost every loose ball.
Those are the facts – what anyone can read on a boxscore. But the gray area is that SMA, which came in ranked No. 4 in the country by ESPN Rise, might actually benefit more from a loss than a win.
Now, St. Mike’s, the No. 2 seed from the Archdiocese, will meet Brooklyn/Queens No. 1 Christ the King in the first round of the CHSAA Class AA state tournament March 13 at a neutral court: Holy Trinity HS on Long Island. If St. Mike’s had beaten St. Peter’s, it would have played Mary Louis in the first round and been on a collision course with Christ the King in the championship game – at Christ the King.
Instead, the two best teams in the tournament will meet in the first round. And on St. Mike’s terms. Rumors had been swirling this week about Apache Paschall’s team potentially taking a dive against SP, but the coach denied his squad intentionally lost the game.
“Some people want to think that I blew this on purpose,” Paschall said. “I would never disrespect [St. Peter’s coach] Bob Daggett like that.”
Daggett, too, said he got wind of the rumblings that St. Mike’s might benefit from losing to his team Sunday.
"I've heard talk from people, certainly not from them or their program, that they didn't want to play Christ the King at Christ the King down the road,” he said. “I'd like to think they played, but that's not for me to say.”
St. Mike’s shot 22 3-pointers, going away from its strength and advantage inside, rarely used its devastating halfcourt trap and star junior center Brittany Webb played only eight minutes for disciplinary reasons. Paschall said Webb was late meeting the team for the trip to Staten Island earlier in the afternoon and 6-foot-6 Lisa Blair started in her place.
“We might have come in overconfident,” said George Washington-bound senior guard Janine Davis, who was playing in her first game since spraining her MCL in January. … “This loss is definitely a good loss. It wakes us up.”
Paschall said St. Peter’s was just well prepared and his team might not have been ready.
“Bob Daggett proved to the world again why he is the best high-school basketball coach in New York, to my knowledge,” Paschall said.
SP (22-3) shot 45.2 percent from the field and had four players in double figures. Christine Kline, St. Peter’s 5-foot-6 sophomore point guard, had nine rebounds – more than anyone on St. Mike’s, despite a front line that features five girls who are 6-feet-1 and taller.
“In theory, we’re so big, you’d expect us to get them,” Paschall said of rebounds. “But when you have five kids who are all willing to dive, they’re gonna get every rebound.”
Paschall said it did cross his mind that playing Christ the King in the first round at Holy Trinity was a better situation for his team. He believes that the entire CHSAA Class AA state tournament bracket is flawed. CK coach Bob Mackey and Mary Louis coach Kevin White had similar criticisms Saturday after the Brooklyn/Queens final.
“The seven people [who set-up the tournament] that are getting paid can’t figure it out,” Paschall said. “Maybe girls’ soccer and kick the can are more important sports. I don’t know.”
Jennifer O’Neil had 15 points for St. Mike’s (20-3) and Jelleah Sidney added 10 points. Tiffany Jones had nine points and seven rebounds. The players were adamant that despite the rumors and potential benefit, they did not intend to lose to St. Peter’s.
“That’s not true,” sophomore Allysia Rohlehr said. “Nobody tries to lose on purpose. … I would have liked to play Christ the King at Christ the King, so when we beat them it would have been a big thing.”
Now, St. Mike’s will play its rival in what amounts to a championship game in the first round. The winner will be a heavy favorite to emerge victorious from the CHSAA Class AA state tournament and head to the state Federation championship in Glens Falls, a place St. Mike’s has never been.
So was this a true loss to a perceived-to-be lesser opponent or a coy chess move made by Paschall and company? The St. Michael Academy contingent is pleading the former.
“They probably are going to think that,” said Jelleah Sidney, who was unsuccessfully fighting back a smile. “But we didn’t.”
mraimondi@fiveborosports.com
St. Peter’s outrebounded taller and more athletic St. Mike’s, 41-27. St. Peter’s outshot St. Mike’s, 45.2 percent to 29.6 percent. And St. Peter’s outhustled St. Mike’s to almost every loose ball.
Those are the facts – what anyone can read on a boxscore. But the gray area is that SMA, which came in ranked No. 4 in the country by ESPN Rise, might actually benefit more from a loss than a win.
Now, St. Mike’s, the No. 2 seed from the Archdiocese, will meet Brooklyn/Queens No. 1 Christ the King in the first round of the CHSAA Class AA state tournament March 13 at a neutral court: Holy Trinity HS on Long Island. If St. Mike’s had beaten St. Peter’s, it would have played Mary Louis in the first round and been on a collision course with Christ the King in the championship game – at Christ the King.
Instead, the two best teams in the tournament will meet in the first round. And on St. Mike’s terms. Rumors had been swirling this week about Apache Paschall’s team potentially taking a dive against SP, but the coach denied his squad intentionally lost the game.
“Some people want to think that I blew this on purpose,” Paschall said. “I would never disrespect [St. Peter’s coach] Bob Daggett like that.”
Daggett, too, said he got wind of the rumblings that St. Mike’s might benefit from losing to his team Sunday.
"I've heard talk from people, certainly not from them or their program, that they didn't want to play Christ the King at Christ the King down the road,” he said. “I'd like to think they played, but that's not for me to say.”
St. Mike’s shot 22 3-pointers, going away from its strength and advantage inside, rarely used its devastating halfcourt trap and star junior center Brittany Webb played only eight minutes for disciplinary reasons. Paschall said Webb was late meeting the team for the trip to Staten Island earlier in the afternoon and 6-foot-6 Lisa Blair started in her place.
“We might have come in overconfident,” said George Washington-bound senior guard Janine Davis, who was playing in her first game since spraining her MCL in January. … “This loss is definitely a good loss. It wakes us up.”
Paschall said St. Peter’s was just well prepared and his team might not have been ready.
“Bob Daggett proved to the world again why he is the best high-school basketball coach in New York, to my knowledge,” Paschall said.
SP (22-3) shot 45.2 percent from the field and had four players in double figures. Christine Kline, St. Peter’s 5-foot-6 sophomore point guard, had nine rebounds – more than anyone on St. Mike’s, despite a front line that features five girls who are 6-feet-1 and taller.
“In theory, we’re so big, you’d expect us to get them,” Paschall said of rebounds. “But when you have five kids who are all willing to dive, they’re gonna get every rebound.”
Paschall said it did cross his mind that playing Christ the King in the first round at Holy Trinity was a better situation for his team. He believes that the entire CHSAA Class AA state tournament bracket is flawed. CK coach Bob Mackey and Mary Louis coach Kevin White had similar criticisms Saturday after the Brooklyn/Queens final.
“The seven people [who set-up the tournament] that are getting paid can’t figure it out,” Paschall said. “Maybe girls’ soccer and kick the can are more important sports. I don’t know.”
Jennifer O’Neil had 15 points for St. Mike’s (20-3) and Jelleah Sidney added 10 points. Tiffany Jones had nine points and seven rebounds. The players were adamant that despite the rumors and potential benefit, they did not intend to lose to St. Peter’s.
“That’s not true,” sophomore Allysia Rohlehr said. “Nobody tries to lose on purpose. … I would have liked to play Christ the King at Christ the King, so when we beat them it would have been a big thing.”
Now, St. Mike’s will play its rival in what amounts to a championship game in the first round. The winner will be a heavy favorite to emerge victorious from the CHSAA Class AA state tournament and head to the state Federation championship in Glens Falls, a place St. Mike’s has never been.
So was this a true loss to a perceived-to-be lesser opponent or a coy chess move made by Paschall and company? The St. Michael Academy contingent is pleading the former.
“They probably are going to think that,” said Jelleah Sidney, who was unsuccessfully fighting back a smile. “But we didn’t.”
mraimondi@fiveborosports.com