When Cardinal Hayes and All Hallows faced one another Tuesday night at Manhattan College, there was more than a basketball game at stake. There was plenty of bragging rights, the two schools separated by less than a mile on the Grand Concourse.
“It’s a big rivalry,” Hayes coach Joe Lods said. “We’re in such close proximity.”
Particularly to the improving Cardinals. After they held on for a hard-fought 45-40 victory, they celebrated at halfcourt, several players jumping up and down. Leading up to the contest, there had been plenty of talk between both sides.
“Since they were an ‘AA’ team everybody doubted us,” said guard Fadil Yacoubou, who hit two clutch free throws with 24.6 seconds remaining, pushing a one-point lead to three. “We proved a lot of people wrong today.”
The win was Hayes’ seventh straight victory and second against an ‘AA’ foe, the other coming against St. Francis Prep. In fact, the Cardinals are just one point – they lost to Holy Cross, 51-50, to start the season – from being undefeated.
“We’re happy but we’re not done yet,” Yacoubou said. “We got keep the intensity up. We got to win more big games.”
Senior guard Nay-Quan Bloomer led the attack with 18 points, Gabe Carrion followed with 11, Amadou Sidibe had 10 and Yacoubou 4. Mike Alvarado and Geoff Tolentino paced All Hallows with 9 apiece and Omar Kellman had 6.
“We’re gonna stay humble and keep winning,” Bloomer said.
Hayes opened up a 10-point lead in the third quarter by keeping the Gaels off the scoreboard the first 4:48 of the stanza. All Hallows (3-5) got to within 41-40 on Charles Ansah’s 3-pointer from the right wing with 28 seconds remaining, but Yacoubou and Bloomer calmly hit two each at the charity stripe and Davon Robinson missed a 3-pointer and Ansah turned the ball over.
The failed comeback, however, couldn’t mask the slow start. All Hallows, after all, scored just 16 points in the first half.
“I wish I had an answer for why we come out flat more often that not,” All Hallows coach John Carey said.
How and why Hayes (7-1) has come together so quickly is up for debate. Bloomer pointed to the sophomores, notably Yacoubou and Sidibe, a Fordham recruit, who have meshed well with the seniors. Lods, the second-year coach, credited the job assistant coach Justin Simon has done with the underclassmen. Yacoubou lauded the work done in daily 2 ½ hour workout sessions.
“I think we practice harder than everybody,” Yacoubou said.
The chemistry is improved. Yacoubou said he considered his teammates like brothers. As the Cardinals waited for their locker room to open, they couldn’t help but joke with one another and talk about the next challenge – a showdown with defending Catholic champion Iona Prep next Tuesday.
Before then, there is some bragging that needs to be done. Bloomer, the high-scoring senior, said every time he logged onto his Facebook account, he said talk of an All Hallows blowout or received annoying messages.
“I already told those guys: ‘See you on Facebook,’” he joked.
