Even though they trailed St. Dominic by 12 heading into the fourth quarter of the Nassau-Suffolk CHSAA semifinals at C.W. Post on Sunday, St. Anthony's point guard Kevin Kerr refused to let his Friars go down without a fight.

Kerr erupted for 14 points in the final quarter and brought No. 3 St. Anthony's to within three points before No. 2 St. Dominic hit one final free throw to put the game away.

This was something of a revenge game for St. Anthony's; the Friars dropped the season finale 63-60 to the Bayhawks. In that game, Shahab Syed forced a tie with 13 seconds to go before St. Dominic center Paul Bilbo hauled in a misfire and converted a three-point play to give the Bayhawks a last-second victory.

Kerr was determined to upstage that game. After struggling for most of the first three quarters to get going offensively, the Friars nearly stole this one from the Bayhawks. Kerr came out of the fourth quarter firing bullets and connected on two early hoops to build crucial momentum for the Friars.

But he wasn't the only one dropping buckets.

Senior Chris Jimenez added 11 second half points of his own. The duo combined for 25 of the Friars 32 second half points, sinking six three pointers and keeping the Friars hopes afloat.

Both teams had trouble scoring in the first half. The Friars got themselves into foul trouble early in the third, and St. Dominic scored seven of their 15 points from the free throw line. The Friars had no answer for Bayhawks senior Dylan Abruscato, who used his size to jockey good positioning under the basket and repeatedly drew fouls.

Also troublesome was St. Dominic center Bilbo, who scored a game-high 16 points. In the end, the Bayhawks just made one to many free throws. They finished 15-of-22 from the line and sunk their free throws down the stretch.

St. Anthony's had one final shot after Kerr was fouled from beyond the arc with 27 seconds remaining. He sunk his first two free throws to put the Friars within three. He missed the third purposely, but St. Anthony's could not come away with the rebound, and St. Dominic held on to win the game.

St. Dominic will face Chaminade on Tuesday at Hofstra University.

Although the Friars finished this season short of their goal, they still took a step forward. The team loses eight seniors and will have a radically different look next year. But if St. Anthony's younger crop plays like their peers, they'll be back in the playoffs this time next season.