Cisse leads Christ the King into CHSAA Final

Moussa Cisse scored 22 points, grabbed 19 rebounds and blocked 9 shots to lead Christ the King to a 72-61 win over Bishop Loughlin in the CHSAA intersectional semifinals at Fordham University on Thursday night.

Cisse scored the first two baskets of the game on dunks, the first coming on an alley-oop off a back screen and the second off a fast-break feed from Sterling Jones, as Christ the King opened the game on a 15-3 run and led 18-5 after the first quarter.

As good as Christ the King's sophomore center was on offense, he was even more of a factor on the defensive end, as Loughlin's standout frontcourt struggled to convert shots in the paint with Cisse protecting the rim. Justin Champagnie (0-8), Jaheim Young (3-17) and Julian Champagnie (5-13) went a combined 8-38 from the floor in the game (21%). 

Christ the King took a 25-8 lead on Lovell Smith's 3-pointer with 5:10 to play in the half, and the Royals' advantage ballooned to 24 late in the third quarter before Loughlin staged a rally late in the fourth. 

A 3-point play by Taj Chiles with 1:10 left brought the Lions within 7 at 66-59, but Cisse slammed one home off an assist from Ryan Myers on the next trip, putting the Royals ahead 68-59 at the 1:00 mark. 

Ryan Myers added 17 points for Christ the King and Smith finished with 10. 

Chiles finished with 17 points, while Julian Champagnie scored 15 and Maurice Doby 14 for Loughlin. The Lions finished the season with an overall record of 23-4.     

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