St. Benedict's Triumphs Over Rice
 

Samardo Samuels, the center for St. Benedict’s Prep of Newark, started Sunday’s Super Six Invitational at Madison Square Garden on the bench, a maroon pullover draped over his immense shoulders.

St. Benedict’s, USA Today’s top-ranked boys high school basketball team, lost its first game of the season last week, to Academy of New Church, an unranked team from Pennsylvania, and Samuels was benched at the outset of its next game for what Coach Danny Hurley called “a coach’s decision.”

Samuels’s guardian, Stephen Johnston, said Samuels arrived late for one practice. Hurley said there were “attitude” problems.

As punishment, Samuels did not play until the second quarter Sunday against Rice of Harlem. He failed to score in seven minutes in the first half, committing two turnovers and two fouls.

But Samuels, a native of Jamaica, began the second half on the court, and his effectiveness returned. Samuels scored all 14 of his points in the final 16 minutes, leading St. Benedict’s (14-1) to a 55-52 victory against Rice (10-2), which is ranked No. 12 in the USA Today poll.

“I learned my lesson,” said Samuels, who also had 13 rebounds. “It was an opportunity for me to bounce back and help my teammates win this game.”

The 6-foot-9 Samuels, who is headed for Louisville in September, earned most valuable player honors for his efforts, which included the go-ahead 3-point play that snapped a tie with 29.4 seconds remaining.

The St. Benedict’s victory capped a tripleheader that pitted the top New York high school teams against those from New Jersey.