76 THE QUEENS COURIER • MARCH 13, 2014 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com sports CITY CHAMPS ROYALS REGAIN TITLE BY LIAM LA GUERRE laguerre@queenscourier.com/@liamlaguerre The Royals are once again wearing the city crown. It was only two weeks ago that the Christ the King boys’ basketball team lost the Brooklyn/ Queens Conference championship game against Bishop Loughlin by nearly 20 points. But with a renewed focus, the Royals dominated their rivals in a rematch in the CHSAA Class AA intersectional championship game on Sunday, March 9, to come up with a 72-61 victory at Fordham University. “We were the underdogs coming into the game,” junior forward Travis Atson said. “People didn’t think we would win, but we surprised a lot of people.” With the win, the Royals continued their era of dominance, becoming back-to-back city champs. Christ the King has also won four city championships in the last fi ve years. But in previous games recently, Loughlin posed a major threat. The Lions defeated the Royals in two of their three meetings this season. So to win the city title, Christ the King shifted their focus to tougher defense. “We didn’t allow any transitions,” Atson said. “We made sure everybody got back and stopped the ball.” With about four minutes left, the Royals used a 17-3 run ignited by stifl ing defense to outpace Loughlin. Sophomore guard Rawle Alkins led Christ the King with 24 points, and Atson, who had a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds, was named the tournament MVP. Atson also played tough defense, holding Loughlin senior guard Javian Delacruz to only eight points. “Take away his offense, just the eight points that he held Javian Delacruz to, if you’ve done that, then you’ve done your job. I think that’s why he was named the tournament MVP,” Royals coach Joe Arbitello said. The Royals will play PSAL champion Benjamin Cardozo in a Class AA state Federation semifi nal on March 21 at the Times Union Center in Albany. TsHE QUpEENS COoURIER r MARCtH 2s014 ing Christ the King forward Travis Aston powered the Royals to back-to-back city championships. Photo courtesy Rick Atson THE QUEENS COURIER PRESENTS ‘SPORTS STAR STAR of the WEEK OF THE WEEK’ Name: Joseph Calandra School: Channel View High School Grade: Sophomore Sport: Baseball Position: infi elder, catcher Joseph Calandra is a sophomore baseball player at Channel View High School, and was a big reason why the team was division champs last season. Last year, Calandra led the Queens B South Division in batting with a .444 average (16-for-36), and was his team’s co-MVP. Calandra was also fourth in hits in the league, and fi nished third in stolen bases with 20. He plays shortstop, second base and catcher. Besides his skills on the fi eld, Calandra is a model student. He maintains a 94 average, and is one of nearly a dozen students chosen as part of the exclusive Crewlympics mentoring program in the high school. As part of the program, Calandra helps give academic and sports-related advice to students in the sixth through eighth grade, ensuring that they stay on the right track and succeed in middle school. Calandra hasn’t thought much about which college he would like to attend, but believes that he will major in sports management, in case baseball doesn’t work out. What are you able to accomplish as part of the Clewlympics program? “I am able to work with other people and share my talents with others.” Why is it important to you to help others? “It feels good when you help someone succeed.” Why is it signifi cant to be good both on and off the fi eld? “Because good character off the fi eld is what helped me with my game. If I’m not fi nishing my classes, I can’t play baseball, so I fi gure, let me get everything done and I’ll have no worries on the fi eld.” Why do you want to major in sports management? “You’ve got to have a backup plan and I fi gure I could use my grades in a good way to stay around sports.” BY LIAM LA GUERRE STAR of the WEEK JOSEPH CALANDRA Photo courtesy Joseph Calandra
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