In fact, St. Anthony's coach Mike Ryan called Kevin Kerr's performance his finest of the season. The third-seeded Friars needed both Kerr and Jimenez to get past No. 6 St. John the Baptist, 65-52, in a Nassau-Suffolk CHSAA quarterfinal on Thursday in South Huntington.
Jimenez, out since Feb. 8, retuned from injury and nailed three three-pointers. He got into the game in the second quarter and made an immediate impact. It was a triumph for all that Jimenez had been through to that point, the victim of a hit-and-run last April that crushed one leg.
But it was Kerr who controlled the tempo, especially in the second half. Kerr finished with a game-high 16 points and six assists. His three early in the third put the Friars ahead, 33-25.
On to the semifinals. St. Anthony's (14-10) will face No. 2 Dominic at 5:45 p.m. Sunday at C.W. Post.
BOYS BASKETBALL: SA vs. St. John Baptist
MVP
Kevin Kerr opened the third quarter by rushing onto the court, his warmup still on and the ball already in play. It was one of the most unusual — and comical — scenes you'll ever witness. St. Anthony's and Kerr were slapped with a technical for too many players on the court. Kerr responded moments later by stroking a three-pointer, part of a 16-point night. The senior added 6 assists and was masterful as the team's primary ball handler.
SCORING
TEAM...........................1......2......3.....4 — FINAL
St. John the Baptist.....15....10....17....10 — 52
St. Anthony's................16....14....21....14 — 65
SJB: Ginyard 3-0-8, Elbaum 2-0-5, Plata 8-0-16, Brown 2-0-5, Pryzby 2-0-6, Kelm 1-1-3, Sutton 2-0-5, Gibbons 1-2-4. Totals: 21-3-52. SA: Laurent 4-5-15, Kerr 5-4-16, Gordon 1-0-2, Francois 2-2-6, Syed 3-3-9, Jimenez 3-0-9, Poetzsch 3-0-6, Teehan 0-2-2. Totals: 21-16-65. Three-pointers: SJB 7 (Pryzby 2, Ginyard 2, Elbaum, Brown, Sutton); SA 7 (Jimenez 3, Laurent 2, Kerr 2).
©2007-08 Early Edition Media, Inc. Terms of Service are applicable to you. All rights reserved.