Archbishop Molloy started its 2016-17 campaign with a dominating 100-55 win over St. John the Baptist in Queens on Friday night. Holding a 15-9 advantage with 2:30 left in the first quarter, the Stanners went on a 10-0 run, sparked by a Cole Anthony fast-break dunk and back-to-back 3-pointers by Jade Tse, to extend the lead to 25-9. St. John the Baptist closed the deficit to 29-16 at the end of the first quarter, but Molloy, behind Anthony and Moses Brown, outscored the Cougars 26-13 in each of the second and third frames to take a commanding 81-42 lead at the end of three. The Cougars handled Molloy's press in the backcourt, but the Stanners' defense caused rushed shots, leading to transition baskets throughout the game. Molloy's length seemed to overwhelm St. John the Baptist at times, as Brown had an impressive game in the paint for the Stanners.
Halftime: @Molloyhs 55 St. John the Baptist (LI) 29 @CHSAA_NYC pic.twitter.com/zrwITA8XZK
— HS Box Scores NYC (@hsboxscoresnyc) December 3, 2016
Anthony, sporting the fitting number 50 for his sophomore season, was sharp as well, making shots from the perimeter and in the lane. The exclamation point in this game was a block by Anthony in the second quarter that started a fast-break that ended with a picturesque alley-oop dunk by Brown.
End of 1st Q: @Molloyhs 29 St. John the Baptist (LI) 16 @CHSAA_NYC pic.twitter.com/AE5BRKXFBl
— HS Box Scores NYC (@hsboxscoresnyc) December 3, 2016
Early season win, but as displayed in the video highlights below, Molloy very much looked like a contending team last night.