Albano lifts Bishop England past May River in playoff opener

Add playoff game winner to the legend of Leo Albano. Bishop England’s senior captain scored a team-high 21 points including the go-ahead bucket in a 50-48 win over May River in the opening round of the AAA state playoffs Tuesday on Daniel Island. The top-seeded Bishops advance to host Edisto in the second round on Friday. “Such a great game,” Bishop England coach Bryan Grevey said. “This is playoff basketball.” Albano was whistled for a foul in a scramble for the ball at midcourt with the Bishops gripping a one-point lead and only 16 seconds to play. Ryan Livingston, who finished with a game-high 22 points for May River, split the ensuing free throws to even the score at 48. Bishop England pitched the inbounds ahead quickly to Cole Christy in the corner who found Albano streaking down the lane. Albano corralled the pass through contact, regained his balance and sank the go-ahead basket with only seven seconds remaining. May River got off a good look a three-point attempt that scraped short off the front iron. The Sharks managed to grab the rebound but lost control going back up as the final buzzer rang. Albano, who was named all-state hours before tipoff, scored six of the Bishops’ final eight points. He finished 6-of-6 from inside the three-point arc. He’s gone 21-of-27 from two-point range over the past three games. “He’s bread and butter in there,” Grevey said. “As strong as he is, even as he was hit on that last shot, he still maintains his control and makes the shot. That’s why he’s so tough in there.” Bishop England trailed 16-14 at the end of the first quarter but allowed May River just five points in the second to take a five-point lead into halftime. The Bishops didn’t allow the Sharks a basket until a Josh Patterson hit a shot at the halftime buzzer. “We were rushing shots, coming down and shooting quick in the first quarter,” Grevey said. “This was the first playoff game for some of our kids. Once we all settled down, we played much better.” Bishop England entered the game shooting 64 percent from the free-throw line this season. The Bishops sank 10-of-11 from the line on Monday, though, including all six attempts in the second half. May River finished 9-of-14 from the line in the two-point loss. Peyton Doyle finished with 12 points and eight rebounds for the Bishops. Aidan McCool added seven points and six boards. “Our free-throw shooting was a big key for us,” Grevey said. “We needed every one of those.” The win moves the Bishops into the second round of the playoffs for the third straight season. Grevey and Bishop England know Edisto well. The Cougars dealt the Bishops first-round playoff exits in 2012 and 2013 behind future first-round NBA draft pick Brice Johnson. This year’s Edisto team doesn’t have the same star power. The third-seeded Cougars survived barely survived the opening round with a buzzer-beater at Lake City. Grevey, though, has already warned his team not to underestimate any playoff opponent. “We haven’t been able to beat them so there’s certainly some added motivation there,” Grevey said. “I don’t even bother looking at the seedings because in the playoffs any team is capable of beating anybody. We just worry about what we can control. We’re happy to be playing at home, in our gym with our fans. Our guys feed off of that energy and we’ll need it Friday.”

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Bishop England High School Athletics

ALBANO LIFTS BISHOP ENGLAND PAST MAY RIVER IN PLAYOFF OPENER

FRANKIE MANSFIELD

Moultrie News | 2/14/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Frankie Mansfield