Chiefs Edged By Warriors, 79-78, In Hoops Shootout
By Eric Goodman

If you define an exciting basketball game as one when players score at will with very little attention to defensive strategy, then the Canarsie gym was exactly where you wanted to be last Thursday.

The 11th-ranked Canarsie Chiefs boys varsity basketball team squandered a 10-point lead with less than five minutes left in regulation and fell to 22nd-seeded Curtis High School of Staten Island, 79-78, in a first round playoff game marked by poor defense by both teams and questionable clock management by Canarsie.

Canarsie hit the first basket of the game to go up 2-0 but that would be the only lead they would have until the final quarter. A layup by Omar Robinson with 7:53 left in the fourth finally gave the Chiefs the lead back at 53-51. Curtis responded immediately with a layup to tie it at 53 but then Canarsie went on an 11-1 run to go up 64-54 with less than five minutes left in regulation.

The Chiefs should have maintained that 10-point lead since all they needed to do was pass the ball around and kill as much time as they wished during each possession since PSAL boys basketball games don’t use a shot clock. Instead, Canarsie often rushed to the basket and missed many shot attempts, which allowed the Curtis Warriors to slowly get back into the game.

Curtis made two free throws with 2:33 left to play to cut the Chiefs lead to 70-68 and it was apparent that whatever the Canarsie time-killing strategy had been, was now all but thrown out the window.

Canarsie and Curtis then traded two baskets a piece and the Chiefs maintained a two point lead at 74-72 with about 51 seconds left to play.

The Warriors finally reclaimed its lead after Scherau King intercepted a Chiefs’ inbounds pass and gave it up to Kevin Josey who managed to make a lay up while being fouled. Josey hit the free throw to put Curtis up 75-74 with 36 seconds left.

The Chiefs responded immediately on a lay up by Robinson to get the lead back at 76-75 with about 25 seconds remaining.

But Canarsie would lose the lead for good after the Warriors made a leaning layup with 17 seconds left to make it 77-76. Canarsie missed its shot attempt on the next trip down court and was forced to foul. Curtis made both free throws to increase its lead to 79-76. But Canarsie still had one more chance to tie it on a three-point field goal with less than ten seconds left in regulation.

Lamont Pettigrew had a good look at the basket as he attempted a three-pointer but, unfortunately for the Chiefs, it hit the right side of the hoop and fell into the hands of the Chiefs’ Nate Lester who put it back for the easy lay up with just over one second left in the game, which sealed the victory for the Warriors at 79-78.