PSAL boys basketball rankings

Cardozo takes over top spot from Lincoln and Curtis replaces Robeson

By ZACH BRAZILLER

Cardozo put Brooklyn on notice Sunday night with its impressive 57-49 victory: the road to Madison Square Garden isn’t all about East New York, Coney Island and Bed Stuy. We were in attendance, and took note as well: the win enabled the Judges to vault over Lincoln and preside atop The Post’s PSAL boys basketball rankings for the first time. They could hold onto that spot for a while.

Elsewhere, Robeson’s loss to Curtis knocked the Eagles out while enabling Curtis to return and Wings Academy, winners of five straight, to move up, too. Yes, the first week back after the holidays was full of action.

1. Cardozo (9-2) (Last week: 2)

On paper, the Judges are the best team in the city. They are big, deep and talented. Cardozo nearly beat Catholic powers Bishop Loughlin and Christ the King, losing by a combined four points, and knocked off Boys & Girls Sunday night by eight. That wasn’t even the Bayside school’s ‘A’ game. The rest of our top 10 – and everyone else, in fact – should be on notice: Ron Naclerio’s kids are for real.

Next: @ St. Benedict’s Prep (N.J.) (Jan. 12, 6 p.m.)

2. Lincoln (9-5) (1)

The Railsplitters followed up their best win of the year – at Thomas Jefferson last Tuesday – by losing at South Shore, easily their worst defeat at this point, on Thursday. The Vikings are young, albeit talented, but that’s a game Lincoln has to win, especially since it was up 15 at the half.

Next: Grady (Jan. 12, 5 p.m.)

3. Thomas Jefferson (11-5) (3)

If the Orange Wave is going to be a serious player come March, they will have to learn how to close out games. Last Tuesday’s loss at home to Lincoln was a perfect example. Jefferson led throughout, by as many as 12, only to fall apart in the fourth quarter, basically giving away the precious showdown. It was eerily similar to an overtime loss earlier in the year to Bishop Loughlin. There is no doubt the East New York school misses sharp-shooting guard Thaddeus Hall, who is academically ineligible, but there is more than enough talent there to get to the Garden.

Next: @ Robeson (Jan. 12, 5 p.m.)

4. Boys & Girls (10-4) (4)

Boys & Girls is still searching for that trademark victory. The High doesn’t have to look any further than Thursday’s trip into East New York when it visits Jefferson. A win there isn’t only important as a confidence booster, but it would elevate the Kangaroos past the Orange Wave in Brooklyn AA. Boys & Girls better not look ahead, not with Transit Tech coming to Bed Stuy Tuesday. The Express has already knocked off Jefferson and is only gaining steam recently.

5. Wadleigh (10-3) (5)

If the nearly three-week layoff between games bothered Malik Thomas, he had a funny way of showing it. The Boston University-bound forward has come out for the second half red-hot, averaging 23 points and 15 rebounds in easy victories over Thurgood Marshall Academy and James Monroe.

Next: West 50th Street Campus (Jan. 12, 5 p.m.)

6. Transit Tech (11-4) (7)

The Express is playing as good as anyone in the PSAL these days: winners of six straight and eight of nine. Defensive-minded and patient, Transit Tech has knocked off Jefferson and Robeson in that stretch, the only loss an eight-point setback to Lincoln. Junior Anthony Prescott has emerged, finding an even balance between scoring and point guard duties.

Next: @ No. 4 Boys & Girls (Jan. 12, 5 p.m.)

7. Wings Academy (10-3) (9)

The Wings have shown slow but steady progress. There have been disappointing losses, but inspiring victories have followed the setbacks, none more so than last Tuesday’s 69-61 win over Kennedy. Even if Naquan Pierce, the Knights’ all-everything point guard, was missing, it was yet another step in the right direction for Wings, who have won five in a row.

Next: @ Truman (Jan. 12, 5 p.m.)

8. John F. Kennedy (10-2) (6)

Jeffrey Short, you’re work load has just increased – exponentially. For, as long as point guard Naquan Pierce is academically ineligible, Short won’t just have to be Kennedy’s leading scorer, but its top playmaker, too. Oh, and with forward Muhammed Ahmed also on the sideline because of poor grades, the 6-foot-4 wing has to grab even more rebounds and make his presence felt in the paint. There’s no truth to the rumor he will also sweep the floors and clean the bathrooms – not yet at least.

Next: Lehman (Jan. 12, 5 p.m.)

9. McKee/Staten Island Tech (14-4) (10)

The perimeter-oriented Sea Gulls are tough to figure out. One week, they knock off Curtis, and days later fall to St. Peter's. MSIT has played a tough schedule, which thus far has included Robeson, Wadleigh and John F. Kennedy.

Next: CSI/McCown (Jan. 14, 6 p.m.)

10. Curtis (16-2) (NR)

The Warriors are defined by the wave of big men they can throw at the opposition, each one more skilled and mobile than the next. Yet, it’s a 5-foot-10 guard – senior Jonathan Annan – that is tied to their success. He is a distributor first, but can also light it up when needed. Robeson learned that the hard way, as he produced one big basket after another in Curtis’ 58-54 victory on Sunday.

Next: @ New Dorp Jan. 13, 6 p.m.

New: Curtis (16-2)

Dropped out: Robeson (12-5)

On the bubble: Bedford Academy (11-4), Eagle Academy (7-3), FDR (15-3), Forest Hills (8-6), Francis Lewis (14-2), Gompers (9-6), Robeson (12-5) South Bronx (15-1), and Thomas Edison (8-7)

Statement sent as Cardozo bests Boys & Girls

Judges tops one of Brooklyn's best in impressive Mid-Winter Classic performance

By ZACH BRAZILLER

The city championship may not go through Brooklyn this year.

At least that was the message Queens powerhouse Cardozo sent Sunday evening in a battle of division leaders.

The Judges dispatched Boys & Girls, 57-49, in the PSAL Mid-Winter Classic at LIU. When the Brooklyn foe punched, Cardozo punched back, beating the Kangaroos in their own backyard.

“This tells the rest of the city we’re good – be scared of us,” forward Ryan Rhoomes said. “We think nobody can stop us.”

Senior Reynaldo (Junior) Walters led Cardozo with 19 points and four assists. Rhoomes, who was a focal point in the paint, had 11 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots, Chris Gayot, Walters’ backcourt mate, had 10 points and five assists, and Malcolm Brooks also had 10.

Mike Taylor paced Boys & Girls (10-4) with 16 points and Leroy Isler had 14.

Cardozo (9-2) raced out to a 13-3 lead, behind six points from Walters. After the Kangaroos, who have reached the city semifinals the last three years, briefly went ahead with a 9-0 run to start the third quarter, the Judges finished the stanza with a 12-3 run to regain control. Walters was in the middle of the spurt, drilling a deep 3-pointer and a driving layup in traffic.

“That was a momentum change to get my team back where it needed to be,” Walters said.

Boys & Girls got within five early in the fourth quarter, but Rhoomes answered with consecutive baskets with offensive rebounds and follows.

The Kangaroos didn’t help their own cause, missing 16 free throws altogether, including four in a row at one point in the fourth quarter. Cardozo was whistled for two technical fouls – one on assistant coach Bruno Comatuccio and another for having six players on the court – but Boys & Girls couldn’t convert any of those blunders into points, either.

“It was a combination of turnovers, poor free throw shooting and missed shots that cost us,” Boys & Girls coach Ruth Lovelace said.

The larger Judges – notably Rhoomes, Brunson and Marquis Barnett, a trio of 6-foot-7 or bigger forwards – owned the paint, scoring on put backs, getting second and third-chance opportunities, blocking shots (12, four by Barnett) and controlling the glass, to the tune of 41-28. They held the foul-plagued Taylor under wraps, doubling-teaming the highly-recruited sharp-shooter frequently, handled the Brooklyn’s school’s renowned press with aplomb and answered every run with an even bigger one.

“We have as much talent as any team Cardozo has had, from one through 12,” Cardozo coach Ron Naclerio said.

The Judges didn’t even play their ‘A’ game. Brooks and junior Shelton Mickell, their two sharp-shooters, repeatedly misfired from the perimeter. Dwayne Brunson, an explosive forward, managed just three points, two on an emphatic tip dunk. They were again inconsistent from the free throw line, missing eight in the fourth quarter and going 18-for-39 in all.

“This team is growing, but we got to keep getting better,” Naclerio said. “I think they know they’re pretty good, but they got to want to be great.”

It was quite the weekend for Cardozo. The Bayside school held off Forest Hills in overtime on Friday, exacting revenge against the team that took the Queens crown from them last year. And on Sunday, against Boys & Girls in Brooklyn, the Judges proved they just might have what it takes to be the last team standing come March.

Said Rhoomes: “We’re not gonna stop, we’re not satisfied. We want to do way more.

Damion Reid

Cardozo coach Ron Naclerio instructs his team.

Damion Reid

Cardozo point guard Chris Gayot flies in for a layup

Finally, a favorable verdict for Judges

Cardozo snaps recent late-game woes with 73-67 overtime win over Forest Hills

By ZACH BRAZILLER

Dating back to last February, Cardozo had been involved in five games decided by single digits. The Judges had lost them all, finding different and unique ways to snag defeat from the jaws of victory.<p> </p><br /> That unimpressive streak seemed to be well on its way to six Friday night when Forest Hills forced overtime after trailing by five late in regulation.<p> </p><br /> “I don’t know what would’ve happened if we lost tonight,” Cardozo coach Ron Naclerio said.<p> </p><br /> He’ll never find out. The Judges rebounded from the sloppy final minutes of the fourth quarter with a crisp four-minute extra period. As a result, they knocked off the Rangers, 73-67, extending their division lead in Queens AA to two full games.<p> </p><br /> “We talk about finding a way to win, but we didn’t know how to do it,” said junior point guard Chris Gayot, who scored nine of his 11 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, and added six assists. “Today we found a way. It was our will. Our seniors didn’t want to lose.”<p> </p><br /> One of them, forward Ryan Rhoomes, led Cardozo (8-2, 8-0 Queens AA) with 21 points – 11 in a monster third quarter – 14 rebounds and six blocked shots. Dwayne Brunson followed with 14 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks, Reynaldo (Junior) Walters had 11 points and eight assists and Malcolm Brooks had 10.<p> </p><br /> Maurice Harkless led Forest Hills (8-6, 6-2) with 15 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots, Rudy Collins and Nick Padgett each had 14 and Denzil Dulin had 12.<p> </p><br /> “Even though the score might not have been what some of the guys on the team might have wanted it to be, we still got the thrill of victory,” Naclerio said.<p> </p><br /> The victory was particularly significant for this group considering its recent late-game failures. The Judges blew leads in last year’s Queens borough final to Forest Hills and the second-round playoff loss to McKee/Staten Island Tech and failed to execute down the stretch in non-league showdowns against Christ the King and Bishop Loughlin.<p> </p><br /> History was starting to repeat itself when Walters, Shelton Mickell and Gayot combined to miss five-of-six free throws down the stretch, blowing a five-point lead with 42.0 seconds remaining. Collins hit two free throws for Forest Hills with seven seconds in regulation and Rhoomes missed a short bank shot to force overtime.<p> </p><br /> In the extra session, however, Rhoomes and Gayot left little to chance. The big man started the period with a blocked shot and added a free throw. Gayot hit two at the line himself, finished off a drive with a pretty left-handed scoop and Rhoomes also scored inside.<p> </p><br /> “We refused to lose this game,” Gayot said. “My coach was saying attack, because they were backing up.”<p> </p><br /> Said Naclerio: "You could see Chris say I'm not losing, Reynaldo say I'm not losing. They knew what would happen if they didn't reach down, that pain of Christ the King, Bishop Loughlin, last year, was coming back. They wanted to push that pain away."<p> </p><br /> The Judges also tightened up defensively in the final four minutes. Harkless, the UConn-bound forward, barely got any touches. And in overtime, unlike the preceding four quarters, his supporting cast – Collins, Dulin and Padgett – were unable to make Cardozo pay. The Bayside school celebrated the final horn emphatically. Brunson lifted Walters above his shoulders and the players posed for team pictures.<p> </p><br /> “This was a big game because of last year,” Rhoomes said. “We were sick losing to them twice at the end of the year. … This is a big accomplishment. We’re No. 1 in Queens. I think we should be No. 1 in the city.”<p> </p><br /> zbraziller@nypost.com <p> </p><br />

Dating back to last February, Cardozo had been involved in five games decided by single digits. The Judges had lost them all, finding different and unique ways to snag defeat from the jaws of victory.

That unimpressive streak seemed to be well on its way to six Friday night when Forest Hills forced overtime after trailing by five late in regulation.

“I don’t know what would’ve happened if we lost tonight,” Cardozo coach Ron Naclerio said.

He’ll never find out. The Judges rebounded from the sloppy final minutes of the fourth quarter with a crisp four-minute extra period. As a result, they knocked off the Rangers, 73-67, extending their division lead in Queens AA to two full games.

“We talk about finding a way to win, but we didn’t know how to do it,” said junior point guard Chris Gayot, who scored nine of his 11 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, and added six assists. “Today we found a way. It was our will. Our seniors didn’t want to lose.”

One of them, forward Ryan Rhoomes, led Cardozo (8-2, 8-0 Queens AA) with 21 points – 11 in a monster third quarter – 14 rebounds and six blocked shots. Dwayne Brunson followed with 14 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks, Reynaldo (Junior) Walters had 11 points and eight assists and Malcolm Brooks had 10.

Maurice Harkless led Forest Hills (8-6, 6-2) with 15 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots, Rudy Collins and Nick Padgett each had 14 and Denzil Dulin had 12.

“Even though the score might not have been what some of the guys on the team might have wanted it to be, we still got the thrill of victory,” Naclerio said.

The victory was particularly significant for this group considering its recent late-game failures. The Judges blew leads in last year’s Queens borough final to Forest Hills and the second-round playoff loss to McKee/Staten Island Tech and failed to execute down the stretch in non-league showdowns against Christ the King and Bishop Loughlin.

History was starting to repeat itself when Walters, Shelton Mickell and Gayot combined to miss five-of-six free throws down the stretch, blowing a five-point lead with 42.0 seconds remaining. Collins hit two free throws for Forest Hills with seven seconds in regulation and Rhoomes missed a short bank shot to force overtime.

In the extra session, however, Rhoomes and Gayot left little to chance. The big man started the period with a blocked shot and added a free throw. Gayot hit two at the line himself, finished off a drive with a pretty left-handed scoop and Rhoomes also scored inside.

“We refused to lose this game,” Gayot said. “My coach was saying attack, because they were backing up.”

Said Naclerio: "You could see Chris say I'm not losing, Reynaldo say I'm not losing. They knew what would happen if they didn't reach down, that pain of Christ the King, Bishop Loughlin, last year, was coming back. They wanted to push that pain away."

The Judges also tightened up defensively in the final four minutes. Harkless, the UConn-bound forward, barely got any touches. And in overtime, unlike the preceding four quarters, his supporting cast – Collins, Dulin and Padgett – were unable to make Cardozo pay. The Bayside school celebrated the final horn emphatically. Brunson lifted Walters above his shoulders and the players posed for team pictures.

“This was a big game because of last year,” Rhoomes said. “We were sick losing to them twice at the end of the year. … This is a big accomplishment. We’re No. 1 in Queens. I think we should be No. 1 in the city.”