Timon takes down Canisius, wins Manhattan Cup

It’s been 22 long years since the Bishop Timon-St. Jude Tigers had last won a Manhattan Cup, but the streak is now over.

The Tigers (22-3, 12-2) downed the Canisius Crusaders (17-5, 11-3) 72-57 on Sunday night at the Koessler Athletic Center and coach Jason Rowe couldn’t have been happier for his team.

“To put things in perspective, I told the guys in the locker room that they weren’t even born yet,” Rowe said. “We’ve stressed being a part of history and being a part of a legacy. There’s a bunch of guys who will put up big numbers this year, but there’s only a few teams who are going to win championships.


“So be a part of that. You can have your individual goals, but be a part of something that’s going to last forever. That singles you out from everyone and they’ve bought in.”

Canisius had won both of their prior matchups against Timon earlier this season, so the Tigers knew they would have their hands full going into the game. But Rowe boiled down the keys to winning to a couple of points for his squad.

“We didn’t take so many chances,” Rowe said. “Sometimes during the year we would take quick shots, and I’ve stressed to them – ‘Fellas, if they press us and we take a shot with 20 seconds on the shot clock and it’s a long shot, that’s a turnover. That’s the equivalent of a turnover, so relax. Make them play defense, make them guard us, but most of all keep them off the glass.’ Canisius does an excellent job on offensive rebounds and I think that’s what helped us jump out to a big lead in the first half.

“We did a great job, especially in the second quarter defensively. We just played our zone defense very well today, guys were talking and communicating while rotating and boxing out, and we did an excellent job.”

That they did. After falling behind 19-15 after one quarter of play, the Tigers went on a 26-5 run in the second and holding the Crusaders to just one field goal while taking a 41-24 lead at the half. After Canisius fought back to within eight after the third quarter, they were limited to only 11 points in the fourth while Timon scored 18 to seal the school’s first MMAA title since 2001.

While junior Jaiden Harrison was named the game’s most valuable player after pacing the Tigers with 21 points, sophomore Mike Gibson was just as crucial to the team’s fortunes with multiple rebounds according to Rowe.

“Gibson was excellent,” Rowe said. “It’s funny because he had second guesses about coming out for varsity and it was one of those things where I just tried to reassure him that he would be an incredible part to our team and he showed the reason why today. I’m super proud of him and all those guys.”

The last time Rowe had cut down a net was as a player while winning a championship in Italy in 2011. Yet the difference between doing so as a player and as a coach is stark, according to the Tigers’ coach.

“It’s one thing as a player but as a coach, when you’re in charge of lead young men it has a completely different meaning,” Rowe said. “As an athlete, you’re playing for yourself but as a coach, when you have a bunch of guys that you go through the highs and lows with and being able to climb a ladder with them at the end? It’s super meaningful and super special.”

Timon will advance to the CHSAA Class A state semifinal on March 4 at Hilbert.