Crusaders reach first state final

GLENS FALLS — For the first time this year, the Catholic Central boys’ basketball team seemingly met its match in speed and intensity in the form of Southampton of Section XI on Saturday morning in the Class B state semifinals at Cool Insuring Arena.

The difference, as they have been all season, were the Crusaders’ fabulous freshmen, Sei’Mir Roberson and Darien Moore. Roberson and Moore combined for 47 points as Catholic Central won a hard-fought battle over Southampton 65-52 to move into Sunday’s state championship game against Westhill (Section III), which defeated Newark 63-36 in the day’s other semifinal.

“(Southampton) is very much like us. They play at the same pace, they are led by their guards,” Catholic Central coach Guy DiBacco said. “Every possession was contested, nothing was easy. Even fast breaks were contested.

The game pitted the state’s second- and third-ranked Class B teams and, after Catholic Central led most of the way, Southampton clawed back to tie the score at 37 with 2:25 left in the third period. But, thanks to a big 3-point shot by eighth-grader Xavyjon Arroyo and a last-minute basket by Qwameik Smith, the Crusaders opened a six-point margin going into the final quarter.

A 3-pointer by Nick Riley, his only basket of the game, allowed Catholic Central to open the lead more, and Moore and Roberson combined for 12 points over the last six minutes to clinch the victory.

For the day, Roberson, from his point guard position, led the way with 24 points, including four 3-pointers, two in the first period to allow Catholic Central to gain early control of the game. Moore added 23, often forcing his way to the basket between multiple Southampton defenders. He ended the game with an emphatic dunk at the final buzzer. Moore also led the Crusaders with 10 rebounds as Catholic Central won the battle on the boards by a 42-25 margin.

“They (Moore and Roberson) are not only great basketball players, but they are better people,” DiBacco said. “That’s the reason the guys want to play with them.”

Catholic Central got eight points and seven rebounds from Smith, a freshman who is often overshadowed by classmates Moore and Roberson. Smith also connected on four free throws in the final 38 seconds to seal the victory.

Southampton, which is located on the eastern end of Long Island, was paced by Naevon Williams, who scored 19 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Tyler Blake added 10 points for the Mariners.

The game was decided largely from 3-point range, as Catholic Central connected on 9-of-24 attempts (37.5 percent), while Southampton was just 3-for-17 (17.6 percent).

The state championship game will be held at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Cool Insuring Arena. Catholic Central, in the state final for the first time, will be attempting to be the fourth consecutive Section II team to win the Class B crown, following Ichabod Crane, Glens Falls and Mekeel Christian.

Prior to Section II’s recent domination of the classification, Westhill had won three of the previous four — 2014, 2015 and 2017; the Warriors also won state titles in 1997 and 2010. Westhill was ranked fourth in the most recent state Class B poll.

Westhill, which is located in Syracuse, was led by Luke Gilmartin and Kameron Langdon, who had 16 points each in the semifinal win. Shawn Mayes and Omar Robinson combined for 27 more for the Warriors, who led throughout the game, only to break it open with a 25-8 fourth-quarter run.