By Nina Mandell
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Rice High School basketball coach Mo Hicks knows his team has had trouble playing up to their potential against good opponents.
The No. 3-ranked Rice Raiders would like to reverse that trend against No. 8 St. Raymond's in the Catholic High School Athletic Association championship game at Mt. St. Michael Academy on Monday night.
The Raiders have fallen flat in their biggest games of the season against St. Patrick’s (N.J.) and Christ The King, losing both games by large margins.
“We understand what we need to do in order to win a city championship,” Hicks told the New York Post. “We’ve got to get back to allowing our defense to create our offense."
Led by Kansas State-bound senior Shane Southwell and forward Kadeem Jack, Rice will face a talented St. Raymond’s squad featuring the sophomore duo of Kerwin Okoro and Daniel Dingle. Okoro and Dingle combined for 29 points and 22 rebounds to beat All Hallows by 10 in the CHSAA semifinals.
For their part, the Raiders solidly defeated St. Peter's 67-43 on Saturday to earn their spot in the championship game.
St. Raymond’s blew a 10-point first-half lead to fall to the Raiders, 60-54, in their only meeting this season on Feb. 5.
